Two former Los Angeles Clippers finally revealed the bad blood between them since becoming teammates earlier this decade.
Former Sixth Man of the Year winner Montrezl Harrell expressed his hatred of Paul George, his former teammate with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Montrezl Harrell Does Not Like Paul George
According to Harrell, they did not look eye-to-eye since their time with the Clippers. Harrell also pointed out that George may have played a role in why he was not signed by the Clippers a season after winning the best bench player honors.
“I don’t make comments about that boy. Me and that boy don’t see eye-to-eye, and we ain’t on no terms, so I don’t make comments about him,” Harrell said in his interview with Scoop B. “Quite frankly, I don’t care. I stated that in the tribute interview I did as well, regarding how me and him got into it in that bubble situation. I feel like that had a strong trajectory on why the Clippers didn’t sign me back the following year, so I don’t make comments on him.”
“I don’t make comments about that boy. Me and that boy don’t see eye-to-eye, and we ain’t on no terms, so I don’t make comments about him. Quite frankly, I don’t care. I stated that in the tribute interview I did as well,
Notably, during Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Denver Nuggets, a heated verbal exchange broke out on the Clippers bench during a timeout between Harrell and George.
After Paul George committed back-to-back turnovers, he reportedly blamed Montrezl Harrell for failing to catch a difficult pass. Harrell fired back at George, telling him, “You’re always right. Nobody can tell you nothing,” frustrated by George’s refusal to take accountability for the plays.
Teammates quickly stepped in to clap and break up the tension on the sideline.
The Clippers then lost in the series after blowing a 3-1 lead against the Nikola Jokic-led Nuggets. Following the season, Harrell left in free agency to sign with the rival Los Angeles Lakers.
Years later, Harrell revealed in The Players’ Tribune that the internal friction ran deep, admitting he even told George during a defensive miscommunication in the bubble, “I will knock you the f*ck out, bro.”
Montrezl Harrell Feels Bad For His Attitude With The Clippers, Says Grief Played A Role
In a 2024 interview with The Players’ Tribune, Harrell opened up about his mental state during his time with the team. Harrell felt bad about his attitude, saying that the death of his grandmother played a role in his behavior.
“OK, time-out — I’m simple. Real motherf–ker. That’s why a lot of people, I think, don’t like me. At the end of the day, everybody’s out here in between these lines because we’re trying to, one, feed our family, but, two do some s–t for the team, for the organization, for the city. Real talk. I came back to the Bubble for this, after having to bury my grandma in the ground, bro. The person who raised me, the reason I play this game. I was so f–ked up mentally, more than I even knew. Alright, with that in mind…. I told P right then and there, in front of coaches and everybody, “I will knock you the f–k out, bro. You’re trippin’. You was wrong, bro. You’re WRONG,” Harrell said.
“I can look back on that now and realize I went too far in the heat of the moment. I realize this is a business and you can’t talk like that to the star player. But when you’re going through grief, you only see what’s right in front of you. And it was just all bad from there. We lost in the second round to Denver, in seven games. The next summer, the Clippers sent me a text message saying something like, “Thank you for everything you did for us … but, we’re going to go in a different direction.”
Harrell is currently a free agent attempting an NBA comeback, participating in open tryouts for the Houston Rockets‘ G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Viper.
Harrell also played professionally in Australia and the BIG3 league.
Former 6th Man of the Year Makes Hateful Admission About Ex-Clippers Teammate