Team USA put in a request to wear a special patch honoring Paul George during the upcoming FIBA World Cup, but the international governing body officially shot down that proposal. Yahoo!’s Marc Spears. reports that while they can’t wear the patches during the tournament, the team will be allowed to wear them in exhibition games prior to the tournament.
George suffered a brutal broken leg during an intra-squad scrimmage earlier this summer, an injury that will keep the Indiana Pacers star out of the World Cup and likely the entire upcoming NBA season.
Maybe it’s just me, but I agree with FIBA’s call here. Even though George’s injury was pretty devastating and a big loss for Team USA, I don’t really think a patch is necessary to honor the guy. If every sports team that lost a player to a serious injury wore a patch on their jersey, uniforms would become an absolute sideshow. That kind of stuff is typically reserved for the passing of legends, and it’s better to keep it that way.
There are plenty of other ways George’s teammates can keep his presence felt instead. Leave his jersey on a open seat on the bench, write his number on their sneakers, etc…but, hey, that’s just my opinion.
