The best individual campaign of Paul George’s career took place with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019, alongside Russell Westbrook and Steven Adams.
George, the now Philadelphia 76ers forward, made what fans view as a disrespectful claim last week. In reference to teammates Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid, he shared, “This is the first time I’ve played with an elite point guard and an elite big man all at once.”
The NBA community immediately flooded the comments, questioning if George forgot about Westbrook and Adams. It’s quite a stretch to call Adams ‘elite’, considering he averaged 13.9 points and 9.5 rebounds in the season of George’s top-3 MVP finish.
Fans seemed to ignore the “all at once” piece of George’s remark, calling him out for disrespecting Westbrook. The nine-time All-Star guard averaged 22.9 points and 10.7 assists, acting as a crucial catalyst in George’s success.
“KD and Paul George at “forgetting” Westbrook,” one user wrote paired with a GIF of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal.
The post of George’s quote amassed more than 3 million views on X (formerly Twitter), so of course some of the responses came from a place of negativity.
“Steven Adams and Russell Westbrook would like to have a word,” another posted.
Westbrook and Adams were not the only duo brought up from George’s past, as others mentioned the Indiana Pacers tandem of George Hill and Roy Hibbert. While Adams and Hibbert were regarded as strong compliment pieces, they cannot compare to Embiid. The 2023 MVP averaged 34.7 points last season in his limited appearances.
“No way he just disrespected Russ and Steven Adams?!?” one fan commented.
Fans often overreact to star’s comments, which are usually not directing hate toward anyone. George’s remark is yet another example of this.
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