Clippers' Paul George: Oklahoma City Won't Be as Hostile as Return to Indiana
Having already been subjected to a hostile homecoming in the past, Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George does not believe his upcoming trip back to Oklahoma City will be anything he can't handle.
"I don't know how it's gonna go," George told reporters Saturday. "It won't get worse, I don't think it'll be worse than Indiana."
The Thunder will host George and the Clippers on Sunday for the first time since he requested a trade during the offseason.
George spent the first seven years of his career with the Indiana Pacers and helped make the franchise a perennial playoff team. But in June 2017, he let the organization know that he would not re-sign when his contract expired in the summer of 2018, allowing it to get something in return for him via trade.
Although George hoped to be dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana ultimately shipped him to OKC. When George made his first trip back to the Hoosier State, he received a not-so-friendly welcome:
With uncertainty surrounding George's future throughout the 2017-18 season, the Thunder—whose roster also included Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony—were bounced in the first round of the playoffs.
In a somewhat surprising move, George opted to re-sign with Oklahoma City without testing free agency in the summer of 2018. As he agreed to a four-year deal, he declared, "I'm here to stay":
He added on Instagram that he and Westbrook had "unfinished business."
The dynamic George-Westbrook duo received a second chance in 2018-19, only to suffer the same result as the first go-round: a first-round exit. And with reigning NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard wanting to team up this past offseason, George opted to asked the Thunder to trade him back home to southern California.
The sting of George's trade request for Thunder fans was likely softened by the historic haul of draft assets the team received in return. However, the George deal did turn OKC from a championship contender into a rebuilding team, as the Thunder traded Westbrook to the Houston Rockets shortly thereafter.
George did not spend nearly the amount of time in OKC as he did in Indiana. But as Thunder fans have shown in the past (albeit under different circumstances in Kevin Durant's case), they do not take kindly to being left behind.
As for what he expects to hear from the Chesapeake Energy Arena crowd on Sunday night, George said he is prepared for either "cheers or boos."
