Paul George donates all his old jerseys to his high school

Paul George’s decision to change his jersey number from 24 to 13 (get it? Like “PG-13.” It’s a movie term ha ha ha) when he returns from injury almost included a little-known complication. In order to avoid the terrible confusion that different jersey numbers might create on the open market, the league sometimes requires the player to purchase all excess uniforms in his old number from the manufacturer (adidas, in this case).

George reportedly beat the deadline for a jersey switch, so this didn’t apply to him. Yet he still bought all the old uniforms anyway.

It wasn’t clear why at the time. Was it to give them to friends? Tuck them away in boxes inside the garage or basement? Use them as placemats? Send them via priority shipping to Lance Stephenson as a practical joke?

George had a better idea: donate all of them to his high school in Palmdale, Calif.

George holds his hometown in especially high regard because it was where his meteoric rise into an NBA star began. As James Herbert detailed in a 2013 profile for SB Nation, George didn’t receive much interest because Palmdale was off the beaten path in recruiting circles.

But this is still a nice gesture even given George’s admiration for his roots. Kudos to him.

Editor’s Note: The story originally suggested George did have to buy all the old uniforms. That has been corrected.