Paul George said he wants to retire a Clipper and no one believes him

Paul George said he wants to retire with the LA Clippers. The internet did not believe him.

Paul George has been one of the best two-way players in the NBA for years now, but thanks to poor playoff performances and wavering loyalty to whatever team he’s suiting up for, his reputation has taken a bit of a hit recently.

Fresh off his first season with the LA Clippers, the former star of the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder was asked questions Friday about his current situation in anticipation of 2021 NBA free agency, when he can opt out of his contract and search for a new home if he desires.

George pledged his fealty to the Clippers, saying: “I’m happy. I’m home. It’s one of the teams I grew up loving. I’m committed, I’m here. I want to retire a Clipper. I’ll say that every year. This is where my heart is. Regardless of what happens, I’m happy.”

The key part there was the “I’ll say that every year,” which the internet couldn’t help but run with.

No one is buying what Paul George is selling

The initial reactions to this quote were straight disbelief.

Some just called BS outright:

It was only natural to take shots at the Clippers in the process too. Even if they were legitimate title contenders last year, they fell short of even reaching the conference finals, choking away a 3-1 series lead in the second round. For a franchise that’s never been to the conference finals, let alone the NBA Finals, the jokes were bound to follow a quote like this.

Of course, the Clippers weren’t the only ones getting clowned. Many couldn’t help but point out how George said similar things about his time in Indiana and OKC:

https://twitter.com/Dubs408/status/1334957891170652160?s=20

And, of course, Paul George’s reputation as “Playoff P” had to take a few shots as well:

To be fair, PG was born in Palmdale and went to school as Fresno State, so Los Angeles has always been home.

But after disappearing in the Clippers’ second-round playoff loss, he’ll have to come up big for LA this time around — not only to live up to his billing as an NBA superstar with title aspirations, but also to convince people to actually take his word that he wants to retire a Clipper.