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In First Press Conference Since Leg Injury, Louisville's Kevin Ware Says He'll Be OK

Kevin Ware of the Louisville Cardinals.
Andy Lyons
/
Getty Images
Kevin Ware of the Louisville Cardinals.

In his first press conference since his horrific leg injury, Kevin Ware focused on his team.

"I'll be OK," the 20-year-old University of Louisville basketball player said.

Ware said that he's a quiet guy and that he's thankful for all the support he's received. But his focus always returned to the NCCA basketball tournament.

He said when he landed on his right foot, this weekend, he thought he had twisted his ankle ,until he saw six inches of his tibia sticking out from his skin.

"I went into shock," he said. But the team captain said some encouraging words and Ware, in turn, told his coach Rick Pitino that he would be fine, "we just gotta win this game."

The Cardinals won 85-63 over Duke and are now in the Final Four.

"I'll recover and I'll be fine," Ware repeated at the press conference. "We still got two more games to win."

The team's goals remain the same after his injury, he said. "I still want to win a national championship."

Ware said that he did not have a previous injury in that leg. As for when he'll play again, he said he's "taking it day by day."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.