Paul George #13 of the LA Clippers dribbles the ball up court against the Sacramento Kings in the second quarter of an NBA basketball game at Golden 1 Center on October 22, 2022 in Sacramento, California.Photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty
Los Angeles has two teams representing the city in the NBA, but it’s no secret that the LA Clippers are the little brother team to theLeBron James' Lakers.
The Clippers have only been in Los Angeles since 1984, the same year the Lakers lost to the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals (but already had eight championships to their name, and nine more to come), and the franchise has yet to win a title. Still, the Clippers have a loyal and dedicated fanbase in the city that represents a certain type of basketball fan.
Eight-time NBA All-StarPaul George, who grew up just outside of Los Angeles in Palmdale, Calif., says what he loves “most about Clipper fans” in his four years representing the team, “is that they’re just authentic basketball fans to the core.”
And as a player, George, 33, says, “You love when you can have that type of environment and atmosphere, when you know the arena is all about you and they’re all about supporting you, getting through it together whether it’s tough times, whether it’s great times, whether it’s huge runs, whether it’s we can’t buy a bucket, it’s just great that we have that support and they rally us.”
“There’s been multiple times where we’ve been in need of help from the 17,000 that’s in the arena and they’ve been behind us and get us through the toughest. It’s all credit to them,” says George.
Still, representing the little brother team in a city so deep in Lakers pride and covered in murals ofKobe Bryant— one of George’s idols and a late friend — hasn’t made George the most popular basketball player in his city.
“At the end of the day, both of us are represented in L.A. and the Lakers have been successful. They have had winning coaches through championships, but that’s something that we’re trying to build with the Clippers.”
Paul George.Kim Klement-Pool/Getty
George says “Of course” he notices the difference in volume of the fandoms in his daily life in Los Angeles, but that just makes the “occasional” run-in with a Clipper fan more exciting for him, especially as a kid from Palmdale.
In fact, with the Clippers' newest acquisition of superstar James Harden, all four of the Clippers star players, addingKawhi Leonardand Russell Westbrook, are natives of Southern California.
“We all know what represents this state and this city and we all wear that on our sleeves,” says George of the quartet. “Our bond is strong based on that, and we wear it on our badges. We appreciate the opportunity to try and figure this out for our city,” he says.
The Clippers' roster is in a win-now state, so the team’s goal this season is essentially championship or bust.
Paul George.Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images
And starting Thursday, George’s fans have an opportunity to get closer to the NBA star through his partnership with AT&T.
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“Dating back years ago, since I’ve been in partnership with AT&T in some sort of way, for commercials to even now giving fans more of an experience at NBA games, I think it’s just when you think of AT&T and what it stands for and what it’s about, it’s about connecting people. What makes it so special is being able to connect with fans, giving them an experience.”
source: people.com
