It was always a public secret Paul George was interested in playing for the Lakers at some point in his career. It was known long before he made his intentions clear to the Pacers last summer. He’s from the area, he grew up a Kobe Bryant fan, and even wore Bryant’s number to start his career.
Paul George can’t stop flirting with the Lakers
George loves Los Angeles, that we absolutely know.
Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
Back during his Indiana days, Brian Shaw and George would spend hours together talking about Bryant’s work ethic and how he led Los Angeles to five NBA titles.
LA has always been there for Paul. And now that he gets his first true look at free agency in the summer of 2018, he can’t stop flirting with Los Angeles.
OKC went into LA and beat the Lakers on Wednesday by 37 points. In terms of a team trying to win a championship, the Lakers looked as far from it as possible against the Thunder, but that didn’t seem to bother George all that much.
George on the Lakers 37-point loss to the Thunder:
“You cant make expectations, or really I can’t have any. One of their best players was out tonight. Lonzo is really the engine. The way they came out and played I suspect that’s they way they’re used to with Lonzo at the point. Just playing fast and high paced, high energy. But it’s what you expect in a young team. They’re gonna have their bruises, gonna have their wounds. The best thing is they have young guys that are potentially gonna be big names in this league. They just gotta continue to keep working and fine tuning themselves. Ya know, they’ve got good young talent.”
On the LA fan reaction:
“It was awesome. For one, just being home. Being in front of friends, family. And then just the respect, the love, the recruitment, it was awesome. It was awesome to get that love, that energy.
“I get a fair, decent amount of cheers every time I’ve came home and played in LA. Tonight was definitely more.”
On hugging his parents courtside after hitting a three-pointer:
“It’s nice for them to be in the Staples Center, it means just as much as me playing out there, it means that much more for them.
“It’s just a nice moment. It’s typically not something I do. When they’re in Oklahoma they don’t get love, so it’s just being home.”
On the history and emotion of playing in LA
“It’s great to see familiar faces outside of my parents. There was maybe five or six other personal friends sitting court side.
“This is home, It’s comfortable for me. It’s just great. It’s great to be home and play in front of friends.”
This love fest wasn’t just taking place after the game, though. It was happening before as well.
And the praise for Lonzo Ball was pretty high.
In George’s defense, he flirted with the Thunder on Wednesday as well. Before the matchup with the Lakers, Russell Westbrook said his pitch to George would be “a championship.” The win or bust mentality could be troublesome for OKC’s future, but George seemed to be pretty wise about it all.
It’s simple to see that in terms of winning basketball games, the Thunder are far and away the better choice for Paul. He has guaranteed future there with Westbrook and a solid organization to call home. But he just can’t hide the glimmer in his eye when asked about the Lakers.
We’re not used to a player being this brutally open and honest and his free agency desires. Most players try to hide their feelings a bit more, but George has made it clear he’s weighing every single option and he cannot stop thinking about Los Angeles.
My advice to Thunder and Lakers fans is to buckle up. You’re in for a long six months.
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