Paul George Responds to Latest off-Court Rumor Involving Roy Hibbert, Fiancee

Paul George has taken to social media to respond to a nasty rumor surrounding him and Indiana Pacers teammate Roy Hibbert. 

The superstar swingman shared a photo of them fishing with point guard George Hill on Instagram accompanied by the caption: "These rumors have got to stop! Its getting old now and all you that believe them are ignorant! #Brothers." 

The rumor, emailed by an anonymous source to BallerAlert.com, claims that George has been romantically involved with Hibbert's fiancee.  

This allegation likely stems from the Indiana Pacers' poor play to close out the 2013-14 regular season that carried over into the opening round of the playoffs, where they were nearly upset by the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks. 

While George has been performing at a high level during the postseason, putting up averages of 23.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.3 steals, his teammates haven’t been playing nearly as well.

Hibbert has struggled the most thus far, averaging a mere 4.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in just 21.4 minutes. In Game 1 of Indiana's Eastern Conference semifinals series opposite the Washington Wizards on Monday night, the big man had his worst performance to date, logging no points or rebounds in a 102-96 loss.

According to ESPN.com news services, teammates Rasual Butler and David West pulled Hibbert aside after the game in an effort to motivate him and get him more involved in the team’s playoff run. 

George also called out Hibbert's effort on the glass after Indiana lost the rebounding battle, 53-36, to Washington: "[It] comes down to us having heart and rebounding the ball," George said, per ESPN.com. "We need our big fella to rebound the ball for us."

Hibbert caught an immense amount of flak on social media for the embarrassing outing, including a ribbing from former NBA star Tracy McGrady:

George’s Instagram post could help smooth over the acrimony that has been plaguing the Pacers of late, but avoiding rumor sites altogether is probably his best bet moving forward, per Bob Kravitz of The Indianapolis Star: 

A critical Game 2 takes place in Indiana on Wednesday night, and George, Hibbert and co. will need to put their best foot forward and play together as a team. If they don't, the East's top seed risks falling into an 0-2 hole before heading to D.C.