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5 takeaways from Paul George’s 1st Sixers press conference originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
For the first time in his NBA career, Paul George posed for photos with a No. 8 jersey.
With No. 13 (Wilt Chamberlain) and No. 24 (Bobby Jones) retired by the Sixers, George smiled and held up No. 8 for the cameras after his introductory press conference Tuesday.
“I definitely looked forward to coming to Philly,” George said from the Sixers training complex in Camden, New Jersey. “My family looked forward to it. We felt that this was the best and next step in this phase of my career. I thought everything just aligned perfectly — where they’re at and where they’re trying to go, and where I’m trying to get to as well.
“I think we’ve got a real, legitimate shot. I’ve always been a fan of Tyrese (Maxey) and Joel (Embiid) from afar. And Joel has secretly been one of my closest All-Star Game friends. It kind of felt inevitable that at some point we would link up and be teammates. So I’m all-in. My family’s here and all-in. And I’m excited. I’m looking forward to this next opportunity.”
Here are five takeaways from George’s first Sixers press conference:
Secret’s out
When Embiid joined George on ESPN’s NBA Countdown set during the Finals, he gave the nine-time All-Star wing a sly grin as he said, “Hopefully, this offseason we find a way to get better and add some pieces.”
The public recruitment didn’t come out of the blue.
“I’m not much of a social guy in the All-Star setting,” George said. “I kind of keep to myself. So randomly, he came to me and we just started talking — and this was a couple All-Stars back. Then it got to a point where it’s like, man, I look forward to talking to Joel this All-Star weekend. The next All-Star comes and here we are again, chopping it up. … Over time, we just built a friendship.
“I think what kind of hit it home is we had a conversation before these convos even started. … He opened up to me. I don’t have a lot of people I talk to. I keep to myself. But he was like, man, regardless of what goes on, I look at you as someone…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/5-takeaways-paul-georges-1st-124826550.html
Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia
Publish date : 2024-07-24 12:48:26
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