76ers’ Paul George Calls Clippers Booing ‘Stupid’ And He’s Absolutely Right

It is relatively common for NBA fans to boo star players who decide to leave their team when they return to their old stomping grounds as guests. However, more often than not, such stars left their former team on bad terms. Of course, it makes sense to boo, for example, a star who has demanded a trade, since such an action is a direct indictment of the team he left.

But not every star leaves under difficult circumstances. Sometimes the relationship between a player and a team simply fizzles out. That appears to be exactly what happened between Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Philadelphia 76ers offered George a four-year max contract as a free agent. The Clippers released a statement that all but confirmed that they did not do so, and cited their desire for financial flexibility under the new CBA as a motivating factor in the decision.

Still, George was inevitably booed when he arrived for the 76ers on Wednesday. While there was applause, fans in Los Angeles showered their former star with a lot of negativity. At one point, the team’s vaunted “wall” in the crowd even broke out into chants of “PG sucks.”

After the game, he made it clear that he did not understand where the hostility came from. “This is stupid,” said George. “I mean, I was a free agent. It wasn’t something where I was demanding a trade or going against the team. Like, I was a free agent. The team presented something that was team friendly and I did what was best.” for me in this situation.”

Booing should indicate a legitimate grievance between the player and the fans. It is not clear what exactly the discontent will be here. Did fans expect George to leave tens of millions of dollars on the table to stay in Los Angeles? He told my side off-season stories. He said he never wanted to leave Los Angeles and detailed the numerous offers the Clippers made him. No report has yet refuted his claims. At one point, George said he was willing to take the same three-year, $150 million deal the Clippers gave Kawhi Leonard, but he asked for a no-trade clause to ensure he couldn’t be forced to leave Los Angeles. -Angeles. . The Clippers refused to give him one, essentially suggesting he could be positioned as a future trade chip like Blake Griffin once was. His decision to leave, in light of everything we know after the fact, was entirely reasonable.

As George admitted, some fans supported him. That would be the correct answer considering he led them to the best season in team history. With Kawhi Leonard sidelined in the second round of the series against the Utah Jazz in 2021, George led the Clippers to their final two series wins and their first-ever trip to the Western Conference Finals. It was almost forgotten, but George was a few games away from the Clippers reaching the NBA Finals. Phoenix won that series 4–2, but needed a stunning alley-oop shot from Deandre Ayton to win Game 2 and only won Game 4 by four points. It was the best playoff game in team history, and George was the only All-Star in attendance.

There may still be some bad blood left over due to the hefty price the Clippers paid for George, but it’s hardly fair to blame him for that. It was the Clippers who ultimately decided to give up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, five first-round picks and two first-round trades to get him, and they did so at Leonard’s direction. Leonard could come to Los Angeles without George, allowing the Clippers to keep everything they traded. Does this mean he deserves to be booed too?

There is nothing wrong with the act of booing. Just remember to save it for the players who deserve it. Otherwise it loses all meaning. Not every player who leaves a team deserves to be booed. George is an obvious example of someone who didn’t.