Paul George is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "PG-13", he is an eight-time NBA All-Star and six-time member of the All-NBA Team, as well as a four-time member of the NBA All-Defensive Team.

George played high school basketball for Knight High School before playing two seasons of college basketball for the Fresno State Bulldogs. He was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 10th overall pick of the 2010 NBA draft, and earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors. He was named the NBA Most Improved Player in 2013, when he also earned his first All-Star selection. George suffered a broken leg in 2014 while competing for a roster spot on the United States national team for the FIBA Basketball World Cup. He missed most of the 2014–15 season, but recovered to become an All-Star again in 2016, when he also won an Olympic gold medal. He was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017, and played two seasons for the Thunder before he was traded to the Clippers in 2019.

Early life

George was born in Los Angeles County in Palmdale, California, and is the son of Paul George and Paulette George. He grew up with two older sisters: Teiosha, who played basketball at Pepperdine, and Portala, who played volleyball at CSU-San Bernardino. George idolized Lakers star Kobe Bryant, and he grew up rooting for the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. George spent most of his free time playing basketball at the park or one-on-one against his older sister Teiosha. He attended Mesquite Elementary School. He did not play organized basketball until his freshman year at Knight High School. He played for the varsity basketball team his last three years of high school under head coach Tom Hegre. George played for Pump and Run of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) with future UCLA Bruins Jrue Holiday and Malcolm Lee.

High school career

George attended Knight High School in Palmdale. As a sophomore, he began the season on the JV team, but was moved up to the varsity after the season started. During his junior year, he was the only non-senior on the varsity team starting lineup. Recruiters began noticing George during the summer of 2007, while he competed in AAU tournaments. Sensing George's potential, his coach handed him a leading role his senior season. That year, George led Knight to the Golden League championship, and was named the Golden League Most Valuable Player, the Antelope Valley Press Player of the Year, and a member of the Daily News 2007–08 All-Area Boys' basketball team. He ended his senior year averaging 23.2 points and 11.2 rebounds.

Despite his accomplishments, George was not considered a major prospect by colleges. Rivals.com labeled him as a three-star recruit and ranked him 20th among a class of California prospects that was highlighted by Jrue Holiday and DeMar DeRozan. George verbally committed to Santa Clara, the first school that offered him a scholarship, but he later de-committed from them because his high school coach thought he should keep his options open. After a positive experience attending Teiosha's Midnight Madness event at Pepperdine University, George committed to Pepperdine on August 9, 2007. Midway through his senior season, he de-committed from Pepperdine after coach Vance Walberg resigned from the program. He ultimately chose Fresno State over offers from schools like Georgetown and Penn State because of greater opportunities for playing time.

College Career

George played two years at California State University, Fresno, more commonly known as Fresno State. In his first game with the Bulldogs, he scored 14 points in a winning effort against Sacramento State. The following game, George recorded 25 points and 10 rebounds in a losing effort against Saint Mary's. Despite the loss, he made an impression with his one-handed slam dunk over Mickey McConnell that earned him SportsCenter's number 1 "Play of the Day" for November 18, 2008. On February 9, 2009, he scored a then career-high 29 points to lead the Bulldogs to an 88–82 victory over Boise State.[2] In the 2009 WAC tournament, the Bulldogs were matched up against Hawaii and advanced to the quarterfinal against the top-seeded Utah State Aggies. During the game, he forced a career-high 5 steals and finished with a team-high 16 points; however, despite his effort the Bulldogs lost, 85–68. With a 13–21 record, the team failed to qualify for the 2009 NCAA tournament. He led the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in minutes played (1,176) and finished second in 3-point shooting (44.7%), steals (59) and steals per game (1.74). His 3-point field goal percentage was the third-best in the Fresno State Bulldogs men's basketball program. He started all 34 games and finished the season averaging 14.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game on 47.0% from the field.

Entering his sophomore season, he was named the most entertaining player in the West region and the eighth most entertaining player in college basketball by Sports Illustrated in their list of the "Top 16 Most Entertaining Players in College Basketball". On January 21, 2010, he sprained his right ankle against Utah State and missed the next four games. He made his return on February 11, scoring a career-high 30 points in a winning effort over eventual WAC tournament champion New Mexico State. During the 2010 WAC tournament, he recorded 22 points and 11 rebounds, but his team lost to Louisiana Tech in the quarterfinals. The team finished the season 15–18, with George averaging 16.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.2 steals while shooting 42.4 percent from the field and 90.9 percent from the line. He was named All-WAC Second-Team and ranked second in the WAC in free throw percentage (90.9%), steals (64) and steals per game (2.2).

On November 10, 2019, George's number 24 was retired by Fresno State.

Professional Career

Los Angeles Clippers

2019-2020 season

On July 10, 2019, the Thunder traded George to the Clippers for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round draft picks, and the rights to swap two other first round picks.

After missing the first eleven games of the regular season recovering from shoulder surgery, George made his Clippers debut on November 14, 2019, against the New Orleans Pelicans, scoring 33 points in a 132–127 loss. Two days later, in his home debut against the Atlanta Hawks, George put up 37 points in just 20 minutes in a 150–101 victory. On December 9, George made his return to Indiana and recorded 36 points and nine rebounds in a 110–99 win over his former team in the Indiana Pacers. Four days later, George scored a season-high 46 points in a 124–117 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, as he and Kawhi Leonard became the first duo in Clippers history to each score 40 points in a single game with Leonard scoring 42. During the 2020 NBA Playoffs, which took place in Orlando, Florida, following the Suspension of the 2019–20 NBA season, George drew frequent criticism from NBA fans and media for his inconsistent performance. In 13 playoff games, George averaged 20.2 points per game, his lowest scoring average in the playoffs since his third season in the NBA, while shooting 39.8% from the field, marking the fourth time in his career he shot below 40% in the playoffs. George in particular was blamed for the Clippers' second round loss to the Denver Nuggets, in which the team squandered a 3–1 series lead, becoming the 12th team in NBA history to do so. In Game 7 against the Nuggets, George only scored 10 points on 25% shooting and failed to score in the 4th quarter. George's dismal performance in Game 7 included one memorable miss on a three-point shot attempt in which the ball hit the side of the backboard. In online forums, such as the social media website Twitter, George garnered the nickname "Pandemic P," which is an ironic reference to the "Playoff P" nickname that George infamously christened himself with a few years prior.

2020-2021 season

On December 10, 2020, George signed a four-year, $190 million contract extension with the Clippers. On December 22, George scored 33 points, 26 of which being in the second half, to lead the Clippers to a 116–109 season-opening victory over the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. In Game 6 of the Conference Semifinals against the Utah Jazz, George recorded 28 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in a 131–119 victory, leading the Clippers to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. Playing against the Phoenix Suns in his third career Conference Finals, George dropped a playoff career-high 41 points, alongside 13 rebounds and six assists in a crucial 116–102 Game 5 victory. The Clippers would ultimately fall to the Suns in Game 6.

2021-2022 season

On October 29, 2021, George scored a season-high 42 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a 92–111 defeat at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers. On December 6, during a 102–90 win over the Trail Blazers, George sprained his elbow and missed the next five games before returning to the lineup in a 92–116 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on December 20. On December 25, the Clippers announced that George had suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow. He was ruled out for at least 3-to-4 weeks. On March 29, 2022, his first game back from injury, George scored 34 points, delivered six assists along with four steals in a 121–115 comeback victory over the Utah Jazz. On April 9, George tied his career best with 12 assists and added 23 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals in a 117–98 win over the Sacramento Kings.

2022-2023 season 

On October 22, 2022, George scored 40 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and delivered 6 assists in an 111–109 win over the Sacramento Kings. It was the 20th time in his career that he scored 40 points, including the playoffs, and his fifth as a member of the Clippers. On October 31, George put up 35 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, six steals, and two blocks, alongside a game-winner in a 95–93 win over the Houston Rockets. On December 14, George recorded his 4th career triple-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in a 99–88 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. On December 31, George scored a season-high 45 points, along with 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in a 131–130 loss against his former team, the Indiana Pacers.

On March 5, 2023, George posted 42 points and 11 rebounds in a 135–129 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. On March 21, he suffered a right leg injury in a 101–100 loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder with 4:38 remaining in the game. The next day, the Clippers announced that George was diagnosed with a right knee sprain and would be re-evaluated in two-to-three weeks, ending his regular season run.