Celebrities keep calling and shy Louisville guard Kevin Ware can’t believe the attention he’s receiving.
In one horrific snap of his right leg, the 20-year-old Bronx native became a national focus of sympathy, even drawing a phone call from First Lady Michelle Obama.
“’You’re the coolest guy I know in Louisville,’” Cardinals coach Rick Pitino said he told Ware after the White House call. “The president is pretty cool, but Michelle Obama is the real thing.”
Ware’s gruesome injury, suffered in the first half of Louisville’s 85-63 Elite Eight win over Duke, has become topic No. 1 of hoop water-cooler talk across America.
In addition to the popular first lady, Ware said he’s received phone calls from the Rev. Jesse Jackson and his NBA idols Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and Charles Barkley.
“I had no idea I would get this kind of attention,” the soft-spoken player said today, in his first meeting with reporters since the injury.
“I’m one of those guys who just likes to play basketball. But the injury opened up a lot of people’s eyes and I really appreciate all the support. It really means a lot.”
Ware today was cleared to travel with his team to Atlanta for the Final Four.
That’s no small development, given that Ware broke his leg in what’s widely regarded as the most gruesome injury ever suffered in a televised, live game.
The Bronx native was contesting a jump shot when he landed violently near the Louisville bench.
Pitino went to assist Ware and saw the horrific injury — six inches of Ware’s tibia breaking through the skin.
Ware’s horrified teammates saw the same thing, most of them falling to the floor in tears.
“At first I went to help him up and as getting ready to help him up, and I actually didn’t know what I was looking at for about five seconds,” Pitino said.
“Then he saw my eyes and looked and went, ‘Oh my God.’ From that point the only words he uttered were, ‘Just win, I’ll be fine.'”
Ware said he’s just focused on cheering his teammates to victory Saturday against Wichita State and perhaps Monday night.
“Our goals are still the same, my injury or not,” Ware said. “When we cut down the nets, that’s what’s going to be most important.”
Ware hopes to be an inspiration for his teammates, even though they really don’t need any more emotional fuel.
“This isn’t one of those things where we need to be motivated,” he said. “We’re in the Final Four.”
Ware admitted he was in incredible pain immediately after Sunday’s injury.
He credited teammate Luke Hancock for keeping him calm on the court.
“He got me to that point where I really had to put the pain on hold,” Ware said.
“Once he said his prayer, I was kind of thinking the whole time, ‘You can either be a crybaby about it or you’re going to get your team back and get them in the right mindset.’
“Luke said his words, and I just kept repeating, ‘Y’all gotta go win this game. I’m fine.’ ”
Ware was rushed into surgery Sunday night and was still groggy on Monday morning when he said Pitino paid him a bedside visit.
The coach brought a little gift to share with Ware — the Midwest Regional championship trophy.
“It brought tears to my eyes,” Ware said. “It was one of the greatest moments of my life.”
There’s still one more NCAA trophy Ware and his Cardinals teammates want to win.
If Louisville cuts down nets on Monday night, it’d also mean the Cardinals would travel to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. to meet the nation’s hoops fan-in-chief.
Ware said he’d remind President Obama that he picked Indiana to beat Louisville in the title game. The Hoosiers will not be in Atlanta this weekend, after bowing out in the Sweet 16 to Syracuse.
“When I speak to him [President Obama] in the White House, I’ll forgive him,” Ware joked to CNN.
With Post Wire Services