Paul George gives authentic take about 76ers fans and his controversial hobby

On March 17th, Paul George’s first season with the Philadelphia 76ers came to a disappointing end. Injuries plagued Philadelphia’s roster from top to bottom and George was no exception. Sustaining injuries to his groin, finger, and knee, he was limited to 41 games and couldn’t provide his all-star-level play to a team in desperate need of it. Still, with the season winding down and the 76ers’ tank in full effect, George was searching for ways that he could make an impact. That search led him to a YMCA in the West Side of New York.

George teamed up with Kinder Chocolate and became the face of their newest campaign, Pass The Fun. The newly formed duo sought to inspire a love for the game of basketball after noticing that a majority of children drop out of youth sports because of pressure and burnout. Ten days after George was ruled out for the season, Kinder Chocolate hosted a basketball game at the mentioned YMCA where George served as the referee. The contest had fun-focused rules, rewarded chocolate for every made three-pointer, and inflatable seats replaced benches. 

“I wish when I was their age that I had someone I looked up to or someone that I could admire from afar and have that opportunity to have a one-on-one moment with”, George said. “I think that goes a long way. I think giving back is essential. I share the same background as a lot of kids and it's all about giving hope, giving that inspiration that they can be whatever they want to be, they can do whatever they want to do. That connection, it's deeper than you know, they see you from afar and now they get to see you up close.”

George opens up on his relationship with Philadelphia

While this event took place in New York, there are few cities in the world that rival Philadelphia’s passionate connection it has to its teams and athletes. George experienced this first hand when he was stuck in traffic on Broad St. as fans paraded around the city following the Philadelphia Eagles’ advancement to the Super Bowl. However, George endured the full Philadelphia sports fandom cycle when he was booed while attending WWE SmackDown at Wells Fargo Center in late March.

“I'm [in Philadelphia] for hopefully four years,” George said. “So with that, I definitely want to give back and be a little bit more involved in the communities there. My first impression from the fan base is that the passion is real. They really support their teams, they really love their sports, and it's authentic. It's not just, ‘I'm going to show up because it's a basketball event’. They're going to show up to really root on their team and give that competitive advantage.”

George’s words couldn’t be more truthful. Despite Philadelphia closing the season with a 24-58 record – its poorest finish since the 2016-17 campaign – it still ranked second in the NBA in total attendance with 813,621 fans visiting Wells Fargo Center throughout 41 games. While the 76ers’ championship hopes were vanquished, fans witnessed the rise of promising rookies Jared McCain, Adem Bona, and Justin Edwards –  who despite playing just 44 games – still finished top 20 in total points scored amongst rookies. 

“Justin has been very impressive,” George said. “What's most impressive is he was the number one talent coming out of high school and he goes undrafted. You see the talent and how many teams overlooked him and passed him up. Now, he emerged as one of the best players to come out of his draft class.”

George talks about his podcasting backlash

Yet, George’s praise extended league-wide when asked about the looming race for the Most Valuable Player award that’s headlined by Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: “How good [Gilgeous-Alexander] has been, how consistent Jason Tatum has been, and then you got Jokic getting better every year,” George said. “He's already a three-time MVP. I think the league is in a great place and great hands with the young talent that it has”

George is no stranger to showing love to NBA stars from both the past and present. Roughly two years ago, the nine-time all-star launched his podcast, Podcast P, which has been loaded with star-studded guests from Tyrese Maxey to ScHoolboy Q. However, amidst Philadelphia’s struggles this season, George received criticism from the fans and media alike for continuing to run Podcast P. As a result, in late February, he announced a podcasting hiatus to focus on helping the 76ers win a championship and is yet to record another episode. 

“You don't care what people have to say at the end of the day,” George said. “When I started my podcast, I knew there was going to be some backlash. I knew there were going to be people who had things to say about it, ‘he's an athlete, he should be in the gym 24 hours out of the day’. But to be honest, it's therapeutic. It's a chance for me to kind of talk about things that happen and things that go on in sports that I probably will hold on to.”

George shares thoughts on Caitlin Clark and the Fever

Though the NBA season enters its final stages, professional basketball is far from over. On May 16th, the WNBA will enter its 29th season with plenty of budding stars and storylines such as Caitlin Clark’s sophomore season with the Indiana Fever. George spent the first seven seasons of his professional career with the Indiana Pacers where he established himself as a star. Throughout his Pacers tenure, George truly realized how much the fan base loved basketball.

“To be honest, I thought [Clark] couldn’t go to a better fan base out of the WNBA,” George said. “You talk about passion, you talk about real basketball connoisseurs, people that know the game, people that you know respect the game. One of the things I realized when I first got to Indiana was how many homes had basketball courts in the front. It's rich in basketball and she couldn't have gone to a better place. They're gonna love her there, they're gonna do great things.”

Shortly after George shared his thoughts about these topics, he grabbed a referee whistle and put it around his neck for perhaps the first time in his life. He then took his place on the YMCA hardwood and refereed a game where dozens of children competed, but had loads of fun doing so. While George didn’t suit up with them, he and Kinder Chocolate dished out memories that these children will cherish for the rest of their lives.