The 2021 NBA All-Star Weekend was jam-packed with talented athletes gathered together for one incredible night of basketball. While awards were given and stars showed up, it was the shooting of both Portland Trail Blazers‘ star Damian Lillard and Golden State Warriors‘ star Stephen Curry that blew everyone away. That includes LA Clippers‘ star Paul George.

George had been viewed negatively over the last few years not only for his playoff struggles, but for some comments he's made in press conferences. At the forefront of it are his comments aimed towards Lillard after the Blazers guard nailed a buzzer-beating, series-winning 35-foot three-pointer in his George's face during the 2019 postseason.

“I mean that's a bad shot,” George said in April 2019. “I don't care what anybody says, that's a bad shot, but hey, he made it. That story won't be told that it was a bad shot. We'll live with that.”

Following Sunday's All-Star game which featured a bevy of logo three-point shot attempts and even some half-court shots, Paul George was asked by ClutchPoints' own Tomer Azarly for his thoughts on the changes in range in today's NBA. George was candid, even going as far as to say he was wrong about his 2019 comments on Damian Lillard's shot.

“Well, I guess I was criticized for the right reason for calling Dame's shot in the playoffs a bad shot,” George joked after the All-Star Game. “I mean, I see this guy's range is crazy, their ability to knock this shot down. And like you said, it's not like its a half-court heave. These are shots that are well in their range. They probably could shoot them deeper, I've seen some of them, Dame and Steph, both were inching further and further back.”

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The Clippers' star finished with 17 points, two rebounds, and two assists on 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Stephen Curry had a strong first half, finishing with 28 points and knocking down eight of his 16 three-point attempts. Damian Lillard had the strong second for Team LeBron, finishing with 32 points while also knocking down eight of his 16 three-point attempts

George acknowledges, however, that he doesn't think he can add those shots to his arsenal on a night-to-night basis.

“I don't know if that's quite my range on a consistent basis,” George added. “I'm comfortable shooting from those, but those are comfortable with the clocks running down and it's like a half-court shot at half or going into the end of a quarter. I cant see myself shooting those as part of my half court offense.”

 

At the end of the interview, George was asked to clarify his stance on that shot being a bad shot..

“It's a great shot,” George said with a smile. “Two thumbs up.”