Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George put on a show in his former stomping grounds on Monday night, returning to the Bankers Life Fieldhouse and scoring 36 points against the Indiana Pacers in the 11-point win.
George, 29, was selected by the Pacers in the first round of the 2010 NBA Draft and went to multiple Eastern Conference Finals with the franchise before finding himself traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the summer of 2017 for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. George was again traded this past summer, only this time forcing his way to join up with two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard in L.A.
The six-time All-Star also heard boos from the hometown Pacers fans during the Monday win for the Clippers. According to ESPN program “The Jump,” after the game George's comments on the matter point to Larry Bird, the Hall of Fame Boston Celtics forward and then-team president of the Pacers, as the possible reason behind PG's departure from the Hoosier state.
“You know what, someday I'll do a tell all. … Tell the leading events of how I left Indiana. And I promise you I'm not the one to boo.
ESPN reporter Brian Windhorst on “The Jump” offered Bird's name as the “villain” in George's eyes.
“But I was way more interested in what Paul said about the real ‘villain.' … Only Paul really knows … but the belief in Indiana is he's referring to Larry Bird.”
Windhorst continued to mention George's reluctance to play power forward following the almost entirely missed season due to the broken leg at the end of his Pacers tenure.
According to Windhorst, the 6-foot-8 George not wanting to play the four may have been what damaged his relationship with Bird and Indiana.
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