Clippers' Paul George Says Kawhi Leonard Is 'the 1, I'm the 2...There's No Ego'

Few teams will be under a more glaring spotlight during the 2022-23 NBA campaign than the Los Angeles Clippers after they lost in the play-in tournament last season, but they don't have to worry about ego when it comes to their top two stars.

"Everybody says, 'Kawhi [and] you are 1 and 1, [or] 1A, 1B,'" Paul George said, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN. "I'll publicly say, I'm the 2. Kawhi's the 1. I'm the 2. So that part we nipped in the bud. Like there's no ego when it comes to that."

The Clippers entered championship-or-bust mode ahead of the 2019-20 season when George and Kawhi Leonard teamed up, but they lost in the second round during their first season together and the Western Conference Finals in their second before missing the playoffs in 2021-22.

Injuries have been a concern, as Leonard missed all of last season and the 2021 Western Conference Finals loss to the Phoenix Suns.

He is expected to be healthy this season and has an "unselfish" attitude regarding his co-star.

"We're both unselfish," Leonard said. "My 12th year, his 13th year ... we've been through this before, so I feel like just having those years under our belt and, obviously, like I said, we have a genuine relationship, and it just carries over [into how we lead]."

Leonard and George will start their season on Oct. 20 when they face the Los Angeles Lakers.