Paul George spent five seasons in his hometown with the Los Angeles Clippers, but this offseason, George had the opportunity to make a decision where he would like to spend the next few years of his career. While he could have returned to the Clippers and tried to accomplish the goals he and Kawhi Leonard set out for themselves in 2019, George decided to join up with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey on the Philadelphia 76ers — and Julius Erving may have played a part in that.
Erving, commonly known as ‘Dr. J,' was one of the best and most popular NBA players in the 1970s and 1980s. Although he first made his name in the ABA with the Virginia Squires and New York Nets, Erving found his greatest fame while a member of the 76ers, with whom he spent 11 seasons. Erving and the Sixers fell short in the postseason multiple times, losing to the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA Finals in Erving's first year as a Sixer, shortly before the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers took over the NBA.
Fortunately for Erving and Philadelphia, the 76ers acquired reigning NBA MVP Moses Malone, one of the most dominant centers in the league, ahead of the 1982-83 season. The rest, as they say, is history. With Erving and Malone spearheading the team, the 76ers demolished their competition en route to an NBA Championship, which included a Finals sweep of the vaunted Lakers.
In a meeting with George this offseason, Erving, who has served as an advisor for the 76ers for more than a decade, likened the impact of Malone's arrival in 1982 to George's potential signing.
“In Philly, they like to say ‘Trust the Process,' a nickname Embiid has fully embraced, too,” ESPN's Ramona Shelburne wrote. “But when they met with George on Sunday night — just a few weeks after Embiid gave George a side-eyed smile on ‘NBA Countdown' before Game 4 of the NBA Finals in Dallas — the Sixers said something else.
“They told him they believed in him and what he could do for their team.
“Dr. J told George how much he enjoyed playing in Philly, and how important it was for him when the team traded for Moses Malone, a move that led to a championship in 1983. The franchise has been waiting for another one ever since.”
Paul George signs with 76ers, teams up with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey
Once an NBA MVP candidate, Paul George arrives to the Philadelphia 76ers as a 34-year-old player looking to win the first NBA Championship of his career. George has come up short of a title with each of three previous teams — the Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Los Angeles Clippers — but both he and the city of Philadelphia hopes this time things will be different.
By signing a four-year, $212 million deal, which will keep him under contract until he is 38 years old, George very well may end his career with the 76ers. And how his career is viewed could hinge on these next four years, as he, 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid, and rising star Tyrese Maxey try to become not only the first Sixers team in nearly a quarter of a century to make it past the second round, but also the first 76ers team to win a championship since Julius Erving, and Moses Malone lifted the Larry O'Brien Trophy more than 40 years ago.
Before last season, the versatile wing struggled with injuries every season he was in Los Angeles. George, who had been relatively durable before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019, had not played more than 56 games in a season before last year, when he suited up for 74 games.
The 76ers have dealt with their fair share of injuries over the years, including last season when Embiid was temporarily due to knee surgery and suffered from various ailments in the postseason. So George's health will be of the utmost concern and interest to the Sixers as they battle with the likes of the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, and Milwaukee Bucks at the top of the Eastern Conference.
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