Paul George returned to Los Angeles on Wednesday for the first time since leaving the Clippers for the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency last offseason. He did not receive a warm welcome.
Fans at the Intuition Dome greeted the nine-time All-Star with a flurry of boos when he took the court, and continued to do so when the game began.
Paul George juice the entire side of Clippers and Zu before opening tip
Then he throws Kelly Oubre Jr. out of bounds into the corner when he is whistled. pic.twitter.com/9HpAVPhKpk
— Law Murray 🕯️ (@LawMurrayTheNU) 7 November 2024
The Wall of Clippers fans at one end of the arena also broke out a “PG sucks” chant.
George didn’t make his Sixers debut until Monday after he went down with a bone bruise in his left knee in the preseason. He had 15 points, five assists and four rebounds but shot just 1-of-7 from behind the arc in their two-point loss to the Phoenix Suns, but he appeared back to full strength after missing their first five games of the season. .
Paul George has no hard feelings toward the Clippers
Before Wednesday night’s game, George looked back on his time with the organization and their failed contract negotiations — which, he now admits, was a bit of a shock.
His relationship with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and the rest of the team’s front office never soured. However, he still chose to sign a four-year, $212 million deal with the 76ers in free agency.
“I think it got a little misunderstood or [the] narrative type of was not written exactly with the relationship with [president] Lawrence [Frank]the relationship with Steve Ballmer,” George said before the game, via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. “I mean, they’ve been amazing the whole time I’ve been here.
“Kind of why it was such a shocking decision the way it happened in the end. But they’ve been amazing. My time here, I think that’s been kind of refreshing to be around and have that kind of partnership with a front office. And so I think that’s been probably the highlight of the whole thing [time with the Clippers]. Just how great they’ve been during my tenure here.”
George spent five seasons with the Clippers, who traded for him before the 2019-20 campaign. Although George shined in his time with the organization, the team made it to the conference finals just once and were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last two years.
George and the Clippers initially talked about a three-year extension — which is the same deal Kawhi Leonard received — but negotiations stalled during the season. After the year the two sides sat down, George either wanted a four-year max offer or a no-trade clause.
Later, the Scissors and George went their separate ways. The deal, which would have kept George in his hometown and playing alongside Leonard and James Harden, fell apart.
“Paul obviously thought it was the right choice for him [to leave]. I will miss him,” Ballmer said, via ESPN. “A very good person. Like him a lot, except when they play us. Wish him all the best, just not when they’re playing us. And he was a good Clipper.”
