PHILADELPHIA — Before Paul George joined the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency in 2024 after five seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, he had two productive seasons as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017-18 and 2018-19.
In two years with the Thunder, George averaged 25.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.1 steals while being named an All-Star twice. He fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2018, third in the same race in 2019, and was third in MVP voting in 2019. He certainly made his mark in OKC.
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Of course, George has made his return to the Paycom Center plenty of times while with the Clippers, but this will be his first time with the Sixers and he still has love for the Thunder and their organization.
“I had two amazing years there in Oklahoma,” George said before the Sixers left for their current 5-game road trip. “It’s always love there. It’s always a great homecoming there. So, I mean, there’s still a lot of relationships that are strong there. So, it’s always great to go back to Oklahoma and play in front of that crowd and in that arena. It’s forever going to be a special place for me.”
The Thunder were unable to capitalize on the George and Russell Westbrook duo during his time there, but it’s obvious that George has a lot of love for OKC, and the feeling is mutual. He will look to help the Sixers put a halt to their current 2-game losing skid when they pay a visit to the defending champs on Sunday afternoon.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 76ers’ Paul George gives love to former Thunder team before OKC return