In the latest episode of the ‘Podcast P’ show, NBA star Paul George continued his ongoing rivalry with Clippers fans. Speaking directly to the Clippers fanbase, he said that they proved him right about being the “B Team” for not showing up to fill out the new stadium.
“When the tribute was going on, the wall was cheering. And I ain’t trying to hear that sh*t. So right after I wave them off, they go back to booing,” said George. “I did not call Clippers ‘the B team’ I said it felt like the B team just because of everywhere you go, people in LA say ‘You should be a Laker.’ That wasn’t minimizing, that wasn’t downplaying. I was a Clippers, that’s who I chose to play for. But they proved me right. They aren’t packing out Intuit Dome. That’s ya’ll’s home, that’s ya’ll’s team, go f—king support them.”
The Los Angeles Clippers just built a brand new, state-of-the-art arena in Inglewood that cost roughly $2 billion. The venue seats 18,000 fans but it seems to be more than enough for the Clippers, who are 25th in the league in attendance at 16,827 fans per game. Just last season, the Clippers were 10th on the list with an average of 18,945 fans.
Whether it’s due to the new arena, the departure of Paul George, or the continued absence of Kawhi Leonard, fans aren’t showing up like they used to to support Steve Ballmer’s team. And yet, they somehow have time to criticize and hate Paul George for calling them the “B-Team.”
The “B-team” bit comes from some comments George made last year, when he described how Los Angeles natives made him feel like he picked the wrong team. Clearly, it rubbed some folk the wrong way but it’s hard to deny there is truth to those words given where the Clippers rank in NBA attendance.
Despite their secondary status, George was happy with the Clippers and he was committed to the cause for years before repeated failures forced serious changes within the organization. Today, the Clippers are heavily moved on from George but there’s still a sour taste to some when they think about how he left after all he accomplished.
George, 34, initially joined the Clippers back in 2019 after agreeing to join forces with Kawhi Leonard. Together, the duo hoped to break new ground for the franchise But it was just five years later when George would leave to pursue a different path in Philadelphia.
In 263 games for the Clippers, George averaged 23.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.5 assists but he failed to get them past the Western Conference Finals and never came close to winning the title. Despite his once powerful loyalty to the franchise, George could not agree with the Clippers on a new contract this summer and it led him to a new partnership with Joel Embiid.
Even now, however, resentment is still there for many fans and George is struggling to understand their perspective. In his eyes, he did everything he could for the Clippers and he deserved to be celebrated for his role in helping bring some (limited) success.
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