Paul George lets down the Clippers nation once again! A few weeks ago, the 34-year-old made the tough call to leave the LA side and sign with the Philadelphia 76ers. Following that, he made a couple of unexpected statements about the fanbase’s “passion” that could’ve hurt the fans back home in the City of Angels. In the same vein, PG13 made yet another unnerving statement. However, this time, the former Clippers star received a counter from the 5x NBA Champion, Ron Harper.

Speaking on his podcast, Podcast P with Paul George, the star forward didn’t mince any words while talking about his stay in LA. George added, “I think initially. Coming back to LA, that was home when I first came back to LA, but it’s not the same love. When I was in LA, they was like, ‘You should’ve been a Laker’. That’s all I was hearing.”

“It wasn’t like, ‘Welcome to the crib’ ‘We’re happy you’re in LA but you should’ve been a Laker’ I am on the B Team, that’s how the vibe and the love felt.” While the comment had mixed responses from the community, the man who had seen both worlds made a counterargument. Ron Harper, who spent five seasons at the Clippers fold between 1989-94 and a 2-season Lakers stint between 1999-01, dropped his perspective.

Harper reshared Paul George‘s statement and wrote, “I never felt like the B team in LA for the @LAClippers.” The Clippers have faced much scrutiny ever since it relocated from San Diego in 1984. This move ignited a lifelong rivalry against the Lakers, who moved from Minneapolis in 1960, the battle of LA. 

It further grew multifold after the advent of Staples Center and both teams had to share it as their respective home court. In the meantime, the Clippers had a few black marks in their run, notably, the ownership saga in 2011. Will Paul George’s words develop into another scrutiny in the future? Only time will tell.

How did Paul George disrespect the Clippers’ fans after the trade?

Paul George seemed to have moved on pretty quickly from his LA separation. Recently, the star sported his #8 Sixers jersey and the team’s social media handle shared the video. Even though it’s a usual act, it might have hurt the loyal Clippers fans. While this may not even be considered as an insult, PG also hurt them with his words. Following the trade, George recorded his podcast show on a special platform. He took his crew to the LA’s Uninterrupted Film Festival and ran the show in front of the LA crowd.

The crew invited rapper Lil Dicky as the special guest and spoke about giving a new nickname to the star. The name PG13 had an emotional attachment with the Clippers fans and now the star has even changed his jersey number after the Philly trade. This very much affected the online fans as they swarmed together to hit back. Moreover, George further infuriated them when he said, “I am looking forward to the fans. Fans are very passionate about the sports.”

“So you wanna play for that and be part of that. They got a lot of history of winning and coaches,” he responded to reporters. The LA fans couldn’t believe the star switched sides so quickly and flooded the social media comments with criticism.

Will this turn into a new rivalry for Paul George? Let us know in the comments.