"My whole life changed after that" - Paul George reveals LeBron James contemplated teaming up with him on Cavaliers
In the newest episode of "Podcast P" with Paul George, the LA Clippers All-Star forward brought in former NBA Champion Dahntay Jones as a special guest. Jones was a member of the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers that upset the Golden State Warriors by coming back from a 3-1 deficit.
In response to that crushing defeat, the Warriors added Kevin Durant to their roster the following off-season. This move ended up becoming a topic of discussion as PG asked Jones what it felt like to go up against a team that had a prime Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and KD all playing together.
Jones talked about the challenges they faced and what the mindset was in the Cavs locker room after they were defeated by the Warriors the following year. According to him, while the Cavs were discussing the possibility of adding a superstar wing that would help them compete against the Steph-Klay-KD trio, he brought up the idea of acquiring Paul George.
The Cavs were open to the idea of acquiring him, and according to PG, the deal almost happened. He even met with LeBron at his house, which he shared was a life-altering experience.
"The deal almost went down," said George. "I didn't know how serious it was, or I didn't know that it could actually come to life, but after the meeting, we went to [LeBron James'] crib, we chopped it up... Bron sold it to me..."
"Aside from that, that meeting alone," George added, "you know Bron, chef... This is a different lifestyle, like I need a chef... my whole life changed after that."
Also read: Paul George's wife Daniela Rajic embraced by Karl-Anthony Towns' girlfriend Jordyn Woods as they strike pose together
Paul George had some heated battles against LeBron James when he was with the Miami Heat
The Miami Heat dominated the Eastern Conference during LeBron James' time there, reaching the NBA Final every single season.
While the Heat was the most powerful team in the East at that time, Paul George's rise to stardom as a member of the Indiana Pacers became a threat to the dynasty that LeBron and the Heat were trying to build.
In the 2012 playoffs, the Heat and the Pacers faced off in the Conference Semi-Finals. The Pacers won Games 2 and 3 to bounce back after losing the first one, but the Miami Heat would finish them off by winning the next three.
The following year, both teams would face each other again, but this time, it would be in the Conference Finals. The series would go seven games with the Pacers threatening to upset the Heat behind strong performances from Roy Hibbert, David West, George Hill, and PG, but ultimately, the Heat would prevail.
In the 2013-14 postseason, the Pacers would once again return to the Eastern Conference Finals behind the leadership of PG. The Pacers would win the first game, but the Heat overpowered them to win the next three to go up 3-1.
Paul George would will his team to a Game 5 victory by scoring 37 points to narrow the series deficit to 3-2, but once again, LeBron and the Heat proved themselves to be too much to handle as they would go on to lose Game 6 and the series.