'Embarrassed' Kelly Oubre Jr. shares reason behind the infamous NSFW outburst against refs
An emotional Kelly Oubre Jr. went viral after he was heard cussing out the officials after a 108-107 loss to the LA Clippers. The Philadelphia 76ers forward thought that he was fouled by Paul George as he attempted a game-winning layup, but the officials thought otherwise.
Oubre revisited the viral moment with George, who is now his teammate on the Sixers, on "Podcast P." He said that he "blacked out" when he started going after the officials and that his response was further encouraged by Nick Nurse, who was also going after the officials.
"I wanted to win that game," Oubre said (Timestamp: 1:03.33). "You know, the team wanted to win that game real bad. After the game, coach was on the court. I'm not gonna blame coach, but he was on the court going crazy. So, I'm like, 'Yeah, I'm gonna go ride for my dog.' I took it way too far."
After he calmed down, Oubre realized what he had done. He said that he "must have apologized to everybody leaving the arena."
"Right after it happened and I see myself on 'House of Highlights,' I was embarrassed for real, man ... I couldn't get calls for, like, two weeks after that, either."
The game where Kelly Oubre Jr. went after the referees took place on March 27. The Sixers had a 39-33 record heading into the contest and were pursuing a postseason berth.
With eight seconds left and the Sixers down by one, Oubre drove against Kawhi Leonard, who blocked Oubre as he went for a layup. The ball got stuck between the rim and the backboard. As a result, a jump ball took place in the center of the court, which the Sixers won.
The ball found itself back in the hands of Oubre, who once again attacked the rim for the game-winner. This time, he was being guarded by Paul George.
Oubre missed the game-winner but felt like he was fouled. However, there was no whistle blown, and he went after the officials. When the league released its Last 2-Minute Report, it ruled that Oubre was fouled by George. Officials said as much to a pool reporter after the game.
Also read: "Doing wrestling moves on people": Jimmy Butler calls out Kelly Oubre Jr. for ending his 2023-24 NBA season
Kelly Oubre Jr. and Paul George squash the idea that they had beef in the past
Paul George and Kelly Oubre Jr. have shared intense moments as competitors. Now, they will be teaming up for the first time in Philadelphia.
"Podcast P" co-host Dallas Rutherford brought up the fact that George and Oubre may have had beef in the past. This came up as Rutherford asked how their first conversation went after George arrived in Philadelphia.
Before answering the question, Oubre addressed the idea that he and George had beef. He said that this was never the case and that his competitiveness stemmed from looking up to George and wanting to prove himself.
George said that whatever happened between him and Kelly Oubre Jr. was just basketball. He said that it was just natural for two competitors like themselves to clash.