Clippers’ Paul George Hosts Christmas Dinner for Families of Stroke Victims

Getty Images Paul George #13 of the Los Angeles Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers caught a big break when they were able to sign superstar Paul George via trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder. George has played a huge role this season as he is currently averaging 24.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists a game.

Though PG makes everything that he does look easy, the six-time All-Star has fought through adversity in the past. George has dealt with a major leg injury that kept him from playing basketball for about eight months and he most recently had surgery in both of his shoulders that kept him from playing in the first 11 games of this season. Though George has suffered from major injuries, the biggest hardship he had to fight through was when his mother Paulette, overcome a stroke that she had when he was just six years old.

After seeing his mom face and overcome such great challenges, George has hosted a Christmas dinner at a Dave & Buster’s in Hollywood for three consecutive years for families that also have been affected by stroke, per USA Today Sports. 

Paul George Hosts Christmas Dinner

Having to see his mom suffer from a stroke really affected the 29-year-old forward.

“I saw it first hand with my mom. Honestly, it built me up as a man,” George said per USA Today. “It built character in me. It built toughness in me. Just to see how hard she worked to get to where she is at now is remarkable and amazing.”

According to the Los Angeles Times, George uses his platform to host this dinner in hopes of bringing awareness to the issue while also celebrating families that have overcame similar circumstances.

“I’m grateful to be able to do this and to share this moment with everyone,” George told The Times. “It’s something that’s growing and something that we’re trying to push. At the end of the day, it’s about being around other families and hearing their stories.”

Following the dinner George gifted the children with shoes, jerseys and Clippers’ tickets. George told one of the boys that the shoes would “make him jump higher than Rudolph.”