Paul George got the basketball on the wing and those same Clippers fans that cheered and adored him during the five years when he was one of their own … booed him.
The boos from the sparse crowd at the Intuit Dome rained down on George all game because he now was a Philadelphia 76er. The fans even booed George when the Clippers showed a tribute video on the Halo Board of his highlights while with L.A. during a timeout in the first quarter.
George had shunned the Clippers’ final offer of three years and $150 million and instead took a four-year deal 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 that.
He was back in town for the first time Wednesday night since departing and the fans let him know how they felt about him leaving a team they had 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 treated unruly by his former team in the Clippers’ 110-98 victory over the 76ers.
George, who had 18 points and seven rebounds, explained why things didn’t work out between him and the Clippers.
“I think people don’t realize business is business,” George told reporters at 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 myself 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 don’t take no ill will.”
It was George’s second game of the season, having missed the first five games because of a left knee injury. His old running mate, Kawhi Leonard, missed his eighth straight game with right knee inflammation.
But the two of them had made the Clippers relevant in NBA circles, the highlight coming when George led them to the Western Conference finals in 2021, the first time in franchise history they had reached that level.
“Everything in between time together was 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 on both ends. 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 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 Powell, who 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.