"They stabbed us in the back" - Paul George's father drops honest reaction to his son's decision to leave Clippers for 76ers
Following months of failed contract extension negotiations, star wing Paul George left the LA Clippers for the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason. According to George's father, Paul George Sr., the Clippers betrayed his son with their lack of loyalty.
After getting traded to LA and joining forces with superstar forward Kawhi Leonard in 2019, George and Co. faced championship expectations. However, the Clippers only won three playoff series during George and Leonard's five seasons together, with injuries often contributing to their shortcomings.
Nevertheless, George was healthy this past season, appearing in 74 of 82 games, earning his ninth All-Star selection. He finished second in scoring (22.6 points per game) on an LA squad that finished fourth (51-31) in the Western Conference.
Despite his strong year, George and the Clippers continually couldn't agree to terms on a maximum contract extension. So, the nine-time All-Star tested free agency, ultimately signing a four-year, $211.6 million maximum deal with Philly.
On Monday's edition of "Podcast P with Paul George," George's father blasted LA for its treatment of his son.
"I felt like they stabbed us in the back because I thought Paul did a whole lot for the team," George Sr. said. "... I think he gave them 110%, and what he was asking, it wasn't a whole lot. But they saw something different."
George Sr. added that after his son got rebuffed by the Clippers, he wanted him to remain in his home state of California by joining the LA Lakers. However, it wasn't a feasible option.
"I was looking at going next door, but they already spent too much money," George Sr. said.
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Paul George wanted to finish his career with Clippers
During a July episode of his podcast, after he signed with the Sixers, Paul George noted that he planned to finish his career in LA. However, like his father, he felt "disrespected" by the Clippers during contract extension negotiations.
"Just to put it out there, I never wanted to leave LA," George said. "LA is home. This is where I wanted to finish at, and I wanted to work as hard as possible to win one in LA. That was the goal: to be here and be committed to LA. As it played out, though, the first initial [offer] was, I thought, kind of disrespectful."
According to George, he wanted LA to offer him a deal similar to the one it gave his co-star. Leonard signed a three-year, $149.5 million maximum extension in January. However, George noted that after initially offering him just two years, $60 million, the Clippers never increased their offer past $44 million annually.
"I'm not going to say, 'I want more than Kawhi.' It's not about me being paid more than him," George said. "I'mma take what he got. 'Y'all gave him that, give me that.' They didn't want to do that."
Thus, George took his talents to the Eastern Conference, forming a Big 3 with Sixers superstar center Joel Embiid and star guard Tyrese Maxey.
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