Suns’ Alex Len saved drowning friend in Dominican Republic

[Brian in Mesa]

Suns’ Alex Len saved drowning friend in Dominican Republic

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba...d-in-dominican-republic/ar-BBsJ8SD?li=BBnb7Kz

Phoenix Suns center Alex Len saved his friend from drowning while on vacation in the Dominican Republic last month, reports The Arizona Republic’s Paul Coro.

Len’s friend, Jay Johnson, jumped into a wave while swimming in the ocean and got caught in a riptide that pulled him roughly 40 yards from the beach.

“I thought I was going to die,” Johnson said. “He risked his life for me. Nobody knows how far gone I was.”

The 22-year-old Len ran into the ocean and rescued his friend.

 

[Mainstreet]

It's a feel good story. I'm proud Alex Len is a Suns player.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Azcentral has more. A lifeguard tried to help and Len ended up dragging both his friend AND the lifeguard back to shore. Len does 90 minute swim sessions as part of his workout.

 

[StreetTruckinTitan]

Maybe Lenny found his true calling. If this NBA thing dont work out for him he could always be the worlds tallest lifeguard.

 

[elindholm]

Azcentral has more. A lifeguard tried to help and Len ended up dragging both his friend AND the lifeguard back to shore.

Wow! That takes courage and a ton of strength.

 

[JCSunsfan]

You are right. Tremendous strength, but also stamina, selflessness, and quick thinking in a crisis moment.

It makes you like Len as a person more. One of the things about being a fan is learning to like the players on your team as people. You then pull for them to succeed more, not just for the success of the team but because it also gives you satisfaction to see them grow as individuals.

This story makes me like Len more and really pull for him to succeed. I am learning to like Devin Booker in the same way.

That's a big step in connecting with a new group of players.

The lifeguard got a flotation device to Johnson and held onto the attached rope but his swim strokes were no match for the strength of the waves either.

“I was holding the float but he was trying to stay afloat,” Johnson said of the lifeguard.

Len, whose leg strength is tops among the Suns, grabbed the rope and powered them toward the shore, going underwater and pushing off the seabed.

“I was panicking at some point too,” Len said. “You’re putting all of your energy into it and it’s taking you back.”

Eventually, Len could stand with his head above water to walk the pair in. Len said the rescue lasted about 10 minutes. They carried Johnson to their room. He skipped his scheduled flight but felt better by dinnertime, when a hotel security guard told him, “If he wasn’t as tall as he was, we’d be digging out your body.”

http://www.azcentral.com/story/spor...-friend-drowning-dominican-republic/83929572/