76ers’ Paul George holds no grudge despite getting booed in first game vs. Clippers

For the first time since he left his hometown of Los Angeles, Paul George faced his old club this past Wednesday evening, and lost in a hard-fought clash which ended 110 to 108 at the new Intuit Dome. The 76ers recruit said he held no grudges against his former team’s organization, despite not reaching an extension agreement this summer. 

According to the Sixers player, his relationship with owner Steve Ballmer was always good, but insisted that he was surprised he wasn’t able to remain in a Clippers jersey as his intention was to stay there. He ended up signing a four-year, $212 million contract in free agency in Philadelphia.

The nine-time All-Star wanted to clear the air. “I think it got kind of misconstrued or [the] narrative kind of wasn’t written correctly with the relationship with Lawrence [Frank], the relationship with Steve Ballmer,” George said before the Sixers had their morning shootaround at UCLA. “I mean, they were awesome the whole time I was here.”

Paul George said he doesn’t understand the boos from Clippers fans.

“I mean it’s stupid. I was a free agent. It wasn’t something that I demanded a trade or went against the team… There were cheers. I appreciate them. Those were the ones I played hard for. The boos, I didn’t… pic.twitter.com/rAVRQvZASw

— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) November 7, 2024

“Kind of the reason why it was such a shocking decision how it played out at the end,” he shared. “But they were awesome. My time here, I think that was kind of refreshing to be alongside and have a partnership like that with a front office. And so I think that was probably the highlight of the whole [time with the Clippers]. Just how great they were in my tenure here.”

The Sixers man explained on his own podcast that he initially would’ve accepted the same three-year, $150 million extension offer that Kawhi Leonard received earlier this year. As negotiations dragged on without any consensus, George mentioned that the extension talk took another turn.

Despite his best intentions, this Wednesday’s game was far from easy for him. The guard was limited to 24 minutes against his former employers, but was still able to drop 18 points, earn 7 rebounds and hand out two assists.

However, his biggest challenge came from the stands, as Clippers fans began to boo him whenever he held the ball in his hands. “It was fair, I guess,” George said following the Sixers defeat. “There were some cheers. There were some boos. I think it was kind of split down the middle.”

Clippers owner even went on to say that he would have loved for Paul to stay put in L.A. but team had other priorities to manage first

Before the contest, owner Steve Ballmer addressed one of the biggest stories of the night, with former player Paul George heading back to Los Angeles to play against his old team for the first time. According to the executive, he always wanted the All-Star to stay, but believes the club ended up making the best move.

“We were able to get three guys who are tough, hard-playing guys,” Ballmer told the press after a busy summer signing Derrick Jones Jr., Kris Dunn and Nico Batum. “And we still have the ability to consistently make ourselves better. So, it was the right choice for us. Paul obviously thought it was the right choice for him. I’ll miss him.”

On the other side, the new 76ers recruit said he understands the basketball business and respect his former employers. This is why the veteran guard avoided falling into controversy over the fact that he wasn’t able to extend his contract with the Clippers, as he remains grateful for the years together.

The club prepared a video tribute for him before Wednesday night’s game at the Intuit Dome, as Paul joined the franchise in Los Angeles to try and conquer a championship in his hometown. George contributed to the Clippers reaching their only-ever Western Conference Finals appearance in 2021.