Not the homecoming Paul George expected! It was on Monday that he made his Sixers debut following a long hiatus due to his knee injury. And just one game into his return, he was scheduled to visit a familiar city and face his former team, the Clippers. Well, it looks like the Clippers fanbase has not gotten over PG leveraging his free agency and parting ways with the franchise earlier this summer as they welcomed him to the Intuit Dome with deafening boos. The superstar’s frustration was understandable considering the poor reception.

“I mean it’s stupid. I was a free agent. You know what I mean?” George said postgame. Sure, he left the team to ink an over $211 million deal with the Sixers. But he claimed that was his best option at the time. “It wasn’t something that I demanded a trade or went against the team here. The team presented something that was team friendly and I did what was best for me in that situation.”

While PG was eligible to sign a $221 million extension with the Clippers, Steve Ballmer never made that offer. The forward even revealed on his podcast earlier this year that the Clippers’ initial offer was disrespectful, “So, the first initial deal was like two years, 60 (million). So, I’m like, whoa, whoa, whoa. That’s crazy. I’m like, ‘Nah, I’m not signing that.” Sure enough, with multiple suitors pursuing him, PG chose the best deal and parted ways with the Clippers after five seasons.

Well, some Clippers fans understood PG’s side of the story and cheered for him tonight. And he was grateful to them, “There was the cheers. I appreciate them. Those were the ones that I played hard for.”

Paul George NEVER wanted to leave LA as he looks forward to coming back next year

PG made it clear on his podcast that he never wanted to leave LA, “LA is home. This is where I wanted to finish at, and I wanted to work as hard as possible to win one in LA. That was the goal: to be here and be committed to LA.” But then, he saw Kawhi Leonard inking a three-year $152.3 million deal. And when he demanded the same, the Clippers denied, “Kawhi took less. I was like, ‘If (Kawhi) going to take less, I’m not going to say I want more than (Kawhi).’ It’s not about me being paid more than him. I’mma take what he got. ‘Y’all give him that, give me that.’ They didn’t want to do that.”

So, what other option did he have but to leave?

Moreover, he was finding it hard to comprehend why he was getting booed by the city he gave his all to for five years, “The boos, I didn’t get it. I still don’t get it when I go to Indy. But it is what it is. It’s sports.” Yes, PG surprisingly gets a similar reaction from Pacers fans every time he plays in Indiana, even though he was the star of that team for seven years. That just shows how quickly people forget what you did for them.

Regardless, PG is not afraid to return to the Intuit Dome in the future, “Looking forward to next year being back here and you know, more boos.” Do you think his frustration is justified?