North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum posted a picture of himself on crutches with the caption "I'm in" on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, after previously saying he would need to consult with a doctor before deciding if he could participate in Wednesday night's debate, the first of the Republican presidential primary season.

What You Need To Know

  • North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said 'I'm in' after an Achilles tear sustained whileg playing basketball with his staff on Tuesday sent him to a Milwaukee emergency room and put his debate participation in question

  • Burgum appeared at a pre-debate tour of Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum, the site of the debate, wearing a walking boot on his left leg and sporting crutches

  • The little-known conservative governor serving in his second term is one of the eight candidates who made the debate stage

  • According to polling by Morning Consult, 61% of Republican primary voters said they had never heard of Burgum, a former tech executive

Burgum appeared at a pre-debate tour of Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum, the home of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and site of the debate, earlier Wednesday, wearing a walking boot on his left leg and sporting crutches. He said he tore his Achilles tendon and that he needed to consult his doctor again before deciding if he could do the debate. He also told reporters he was not yet taking pain medication.

"I can stand on one leg for two hours. It's not 'Dancing with the Stars,' I mean c'mon. So I'd have to scratch if it was that," Burgum told Scripps News. 

"I’ve played lots of pick-up games in my day! This isn’t the first time one has sent me to the ER. Appreciate all the well-wishes!" Burgum posted on X, earlier on Wednesday.

As governor, the now-67-year-old Burgum played at least twice in an annual amateur basketball tournament in North Dakota, according to local media reports.

"I've been playing amateur ball in North Dakota for over 30 years," the former high school basketball player told a local NBC affiliate in 2017. "We were all about defense, box outs, rebounds and assists, so I consider myself a non-shooting point guard, but if I have to put up an open 3, I'll be happy to take it."

The little-known conservative governor serving in his second term is one of the eight candidates who made the debate stage. According to polling by Morning Consult, 61% of Republican primary voters said they had never heard of Burgum, a former tech executive. 

"We're in a very different spot than almost anybody else on the stage because virtually everyone else has got almost 100% name recognition. And we're a long way from that. We're at the other end of that spectrum," Burgum said on a Politico podcast last week. "So there's a little bit of solving the 'Doug who?' problem."