Phoenix Suns center Alex Len saved a friend from drowning during a vacation in the Dominican Republic. Len and two friends, Serhii Vysotskyi and Jay Johnson, made their way to the beach April 25, according to AZCentral.
It was rainy and windy, and locals advised them not to head out. Johnson, 39, planned only get his feet wet, but when he felt the freezing water, he decided to jump into a wave. Soon, 40 yards from the beach, he realized he had lost control and could not get back to the shore, so he started screaming for help.
"By the time I got to him, he was halfway passed out," Len said. "He couldn’t swim. He wasn’t moving. If I would’ve come a couple minutes later, he probably would’ve drowned."
Len, 22, who is not a strong swimmer, jumped right into the sea and corralled his friend. With Len powering the pair, they struggled to get back to shore and made slow and gradual process as they fought the tide. Eventually, a lifeguard joined and helped them return to safety.
"I thought I was going to die," Johnson said. "He risked his life for me. Nobody knows how far gone I was."
Phoenix picked Len fifth overall in the 2013 NBA Draft. He averaged 9.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game this season.
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