76ers' Paul George Talks 'Shocking' Clippers Exit, Says Steve Ballmer Was 'Awesome'

Paul George will return to Los Angeles on Wednesday night to face his former team, the Clippers, for the first time since signing a four-year, $212 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers over the summer.

And he didn't go into the offseason believing his time on the West Coast was ending.

"I think it got kind of misconstrued or [the] narrative kind of wasn't written correctly with the relationship with Lawrence [Frank], the relationship with Steve Ballmer," he told reporters Wednesday. "I mean, they were awesome the whole time I was here. Kind of the reason why it was such a shocking decision how it played out at the end. But they were awesome. My time here, I think that was kind of refreshing to be alongside and have a partnership like that with a front office. And so I think that was probably the highlight of the whole [time with the Clippers]. Just how great they were in my tenure here."

George had previously said the Clippers initially offered him a two-year, $60 million extension last season, an offer he deemed "disrespectful." He said he would have accepted the same three-year, $150 million deal the team gave Kawhi Leonard in January, but talks were ultimately put on hold around the All-Star break, and after the season George said he was willing to do that deal but with a no-trade clause attached.

The Clippers wouldn't concede on that point, George hit free agency and the rest is history.

In the aftermath of George's departure, the Clippers filled out the roster around Leonard and James Harden with complementary role players like Derrick Jones Jr., Kris Dunn and Nicolas Batum while maintaining flexibility to add another star in the future.

"We were able to get three guys who are tough, hard-playing guys," Ballmer told ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk. "And we still have the ability to consistently make ourselves better. So, it was the right choice for us. Paul obviously thought it was the right choice for him. I'll miss him. Very good human being. Like him a lot, except when they play us. Wish him all the best, just not when they play us. And he was a good Clipper."

The Sixers have had just one game with a healthy George—and none with superstar center Joel Embiid, who was injured to start the year and is now serving a three-game suspension—and have limped to a 1-5 start.

The Clippers, meanwhile, have been without Leonard for the entirety of the 2024-25 season thus far and have started 3-4. It hasn't been the start either franchise would have hoped for ahead of George's reunion with his former team.