Getty Paul George speaks during a press conference to introduce him as one of the new players of the Los Angeles Clippers.
It should come as no surprise to anyone following the NBA that Paul George had long been a fan of his hometown Los Angeles Lakers. Born and raised in Southern California, George was vocal about returning home and found himself at the forefront of Lakers rumors for the better part of two seasons. George even mentioned the Lakers by name as the team that he would ideally like to suit up for back in 2018.
So naturally, when George decided to come out during his introductory press conference with the Clippers and say that he had been a Clippers fan growing up, it sounded fishy. Of course, Twitter did what Twitter does best and dug up some hilarious dirt exposing George’s comments as maybe not being ENTIRELY true.
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Paul George’s Lakers Fan Comments Elicit Epic Twitter Reactions
#PaulGeorge I grew up a #Lakers fan
Twitter: ok
Paul George so mad the Lakers didn’t trade for him that he said he grew up a Clippers fan
The Lakers and Clippers play each other four times a year. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard all play basketball in Los Angeles.
Was Paul George a Lakers or Clippers Fan?
For what it might be worth, George has admitted on a few occasions throughout the year that he also likes the Clippers. However, attempting to downplay his Lakers fandom as simply being a Kobe fan in his youth comes across as not entirely genuine. Especially when he has gone on public record numerous times talking about wanting to play for the Lakers. George never came out to say he envisioned himself playing in a Clippers jersey and even if he supported the team growing up, it seems his allegiance was always with the purple and gold – at least until they refused to trade for him while he was on the Pacers.
While he likely isn’t lying about being a Clippers fan growing up, he is almost certainly downplaying his Lakers fandom in his new role. With considerable tension between the two squads after Kawhi Leonard left the Lakers out to dry in free agency, George isn’t really in much of a position to speak extensively on how he was also a Lakers fan growing up. It is certainly unusual, but it seems George may have actually been BOTH a Lakers and Clippers fan in his younger days.
Lakers and Clippers On Course For Star-Studded Rivalry
With the Lakers boasting a duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis while the Clippers roll out Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the Staples Center roommates should be in line for a few seasons of some heated competition. The Clippers return most of a playoff-tested core to fill out alongside Leonard and George while the Lakers did an impressive job of adding shooting and defense to surround their superstar duo.
While Davis technically only has one year left on his deal, he seems likely to re-up with the Lakers – making Staples Center the epicenter of the basketball world for at least the next two seasons. Leonard, James, and George can all walk after two more seasons but assuming things go according to plan for both franchises, that doesn’t seem all too likely. For the foreseeable future, expect some great basketball between the two Los Angeles powerhouse squads.