Paul George got the basketball on the wing and those same Scissors fans who cheered and adored him for the five years he was one of their own… booed him.
The boos of the sparse crowd at the Intuit Dome rained down on George the entire game because he was now a Philadelphia 76er. The fans even booed George when the Clippers showed a tribute video on the Halo Board of his highlights while with LA during a stretch in the first quarter.
George avoided the final offer of the Clippers of three years and $150 million and instead took a four-year deal from the 76ers for $212 million. George wanted a no-trade clause as part of his deal with the Clippers, but they weren’t willing to do it.
He was back in town Wednesday night for the first time since leaving and the fans let him know how they felt about him leaving a team they hoped he (and Kawhi Leonard) would help lead to an NBA title.
Before the game, George slapped hands with his former teammates sitting on the bench and hugged coach Tyronn Lue. Then he was tackled uncontrollably by his former team in the Clippers’ 110-98 win over the 76ers.
George, who had 18 points and seven rebounds, explained why things didn’t work out between him and the Clippers.
Read more: Paul George “never wanted to leave” Clippers, but says initial offer was disrespectful
“I think people don’t realize that business is business,” George told reporters during a shootaround Wednesday morning. ”They made a business decision that works for the organization and that’s good. I made a business decision that worked for me and my family. And, so, you know, it’s again, there’s no love lost. I still appreciate and love those guys. But it’s… It’s part of the business. I take no ill will.”
It was George’s second game of the season, having missed the first five games due to a left knee injury. His old running mate, Kawhi Leonard, missed his eighth straight game with right knee inflammation.
But the two of them made the Clippers significant in NBA circles, the highlight came when George led them to the Western Conference finals in 2021, the first time in franchise history they reached that level.
“Everything in the interim together has been great,” Lue said. “Being with him for what, five years? I think it was great when you have a two-way player like PG who does it both ways. He made some big shots for us, helped us advance further than we’ve ever been as an organization to the conference finals, so we’ve had some great years together.”
It was the Clippers’ first double-digit win of the season and their second straight win at home.
And again, they were led by Norman Powellwho had 26 points on eight-for-10 shooting and six-for-eight on three-pointers. It was his seventh consecutive game scoring 20-plus points.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
