INDIANAPOLIS – Paul George would love to leave behind the worst day of his basketball life with the swiftness of a windmill dunk, to make the image of his right leg snapping disappear in the time it takes to snap a finger. But he knows that can't happen, that fully moving on from that gruesome injury nearly 17 months ago will always be difficult because the bulging mound of flesh that remains from where his leg was surgically fused back together greets George every time he gets dressed.

"Putting on socks. Just putting on socks is a reminder of what happened," George told Yahoo Sports, "because it's there. I've got to put the sock over the bump where the bone breakage happened. It's a reminder every day."

View photos Paul George is averaging a career-high 24.2 points per game. (Getty Images) More

The thick scar no longer taunts George as it did when he began taking those first grueling steps toward reclaiming the promising career some thought was over when he crashed into that basket stanchion during a Team USA scrimmage in August 2014. And since he pulls his socks up just above that deformed knot, the daily reminder isn't visible to anyone who has watched George dazzle the NBA with easily the best feel-good comeback story of the early season.

"I want people to use that as something inspirational. Because here I was, playing at the highest level, and a big accident happened. And it took me back," George told Yahoo. "I had to work to get back to it."

George hasn't returned seeking to be graded on a curve or to merely receive applause for wearing a Pacers uniform again. He is authoring one of the best seasons of anyone not named Stephen Curry, having already claimed Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors for November, posting nearly career-best numbers across the board in scoring, rebounds and assists, and racking up votes as one of the early leaders in All-Star balloting.

"I really came into this season wanting to be here, wanting to be on top of the league now," George told Yahoo. "I didn’t see it no other way."

Though he has been encouraged by the flashes of that familiar explosiveness, George is quick to remind people that he experiences soreness in his repaired limb and continues to adjust to some limitations to his athleticism and quickness. That fight wasn't unexpected, because doctors told George that it would likely take about two years before he was fully recovered.

Emerging from a lengthy, half-hour dip in the ice tub after a recent game, covered in several thick brown towels, George took some time to reheat in front of his locker room stall before explaining how doubt, from outside and within, helped fuel his drive to get back to the court.

"That was definitely bulletin board material, people saying I wouldn’t be back. Or I’m going to be limited – which I am to an extent. I’m still not fully there," George told Yahoo. "I knew at the end of the road, where I wanted to be. I knew I wanted to be at the highest level. I wanted to return as one of the best players in the world again. That's how I wanted my story to end."

Refusing to surrender

Of all the indelible images of that fateful August night in Las Vegas – Kyrie Irving crying in his father's arms, players gathered around George in stunned silence, George offering a thumbs up before heading out on a stretcher – the one that often gets overlooked also provided a good indication that George wasn't going to easily surrender to the intimidating odds of a healthy return. James Harden was at least two steps out front with a seemingly easy path for a layup in an otherwise meaningless, defense-optional exhibition, and George was still charging, unwilling to give up on the play.



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