Paul George Explains Giving Middle Finger to Fan in Viral Video After Celtics' Win vs. 76ers

Paul George's return to Philadelphia was a rousing success on the court as he dropped 36 points to lead the Boston Celtics to a 123-101 win over the 76ers on Tuesday, but there was an apparent fan interaction at one point that had everyone talking.

After George was seen giving a middle finger to the crowd during the game, he explained there was a fan "being an a--hole" who dropped the ball on the ground instead of passing it back to him that prompted him to flip the bird.

The environment in Philadelphia is generally heightened when the Celtics are in town because there's so much history between the two teams, but Tuesday was unique even by those standards.

Celtics-76ers Highlights

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It was the first Celtics-76ers game since the offseason trade that sent George to Boston in exchange for Jaylen Brown.

George's two-year run in Philadelphia was generally regarded as a disappointment. He only played in 78 games after signing a four-year, $212 million deal as a free agent in the summer of 2024.

Most of George's limited playing time was due to injuries, but he was also suspended for 25 games in January due to violating the NBA/NBPA anti-drug program.

George has enjoyed a resurgence so far this season with the Celtics. Tuesday was arguably his best game with 36 points on 14-of-22 shooting (6-of-11 from three) in 30 minutes against his former team.

The 36 points would have been George's second-best scoring game from his entire run with Philadelphia. He put up 39 in a 153-131 win over the Washington Wizards on April 1 last season.

Boston has won four consecutive games and sits at 9-2 overall to move into first place in the Eastern Conference standings.