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.
Read more: Paul George ‘never wanted to leave’ Clippers, but says initial offer was disrespectful
George, who had 18 points and seven rebounds, didn’t understand why he was booed by the fans.
“I mean, you know, it’s stupid,” George said. “I mean, I was a free agent. I mean, I was a free agent. It wasn’t something that I demanded a trade or went against the team here. Like, I was a free agent. The team presented something that was team-friendly, and I did what was best for me in that situation. So, there were some cheers. I appreciate them. Those were the ones that I played hard for. The boos. I didn’t get it. I still don’t get it when I got to Indy. But it is what it is. It’s sports. That’s what’s in sports. Yeah, I look forward to next year being here and more boos.”
It was George’s second game of the season, having missed the first five games with his new team because of a left knee injury. His old running mate, 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.
“It was great. They booed him,” Lue, smiling, said about the crowd’s reaction to George. “They tried to get him out of his game even though he didn’t miss too many shots. But now they can cheer for him tomorrow.”
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 in a game. He also had six assists and was on point with his defense, which was another signal that Powell is developing into an all-around player for the Clippers.
“I’m not really happy about my play,” Powell said. “I just think that I can always get better in areas. I’m not talking to the coaches after the game or in timeouts about the shot I made or a defensive play I made. It’s the blown assignments or the turnovers that I have and just trying to better, trying to be a complete player.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.