Paul George got the basketball on the wing and those same Clippers fans who cheered and adored him for the five years he was one of them… booed him.
Boos from the sparse crowd at the Intuit Dome rained on George throughout the 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 during a timeout in the first quarter in LA.
George had rejected the Clippers’ final offer of three years and $150 million and instead accepted a four-year contract from the 76ers for $212 million. George had wanted a no-trade clause as part of his deal with the Clippers, but they were unwilling to do so.
He was back in town Wednesday night for the first time since leaving, and fans let him know how they felt about him leaving the team they had hoped he (and Kawhi Leonard) would help lead to an NBA title.
Before the game, George clapped hands with his former teammates on the bench and hugged Coach Tyronn Lue. He was then treated unruly 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 don’t think people realize that business is business,” George told reporters during a shoot-around Wednesday morning. “They made a business decision that works for the organization and that’s fine. I made a business decision that worked for me and my family. And so, you know, there’s again, there’s no love lost. I still appreciate and love those guys. But it’s… It’s part of the business. I bear no ill will.”
It was George’s second game of the season after missing the first five games due to a left knee injury. His old running mate, Kawhi Leonard, missed his eighth straight game due to inflammation in his right knee.
But they had both made the Clippers relevant in NBA circles, and the highlight came when George led them to the 2021 Western Conference Finals, the first time in franchise history they had reached that level.
“Everything between the time together was great,” Lue said. “To be with him for what, five years? I think it was great when you have a two-way player like PG who does it on both ends. He made some big plays for us and helped us get to the conference finals further than ever before as an organization, so we had great years together.”
It was the Clippers’ first double-digit win of the season and their second straight win at home.
And once again they were led by Norman Powell, who had 26 points on eight-for-10 shooting and six-for-eight on 3-pointers. It was his seventh consecutive game in which he scored more than twenty points.
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
