Paul George is now 14 seasons deep into his NBA career. It was back in 2010 when he was selected 10th overall by the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Draft. His numbers and accolades surely point to him being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame when his career is over. The 34-year-old is a nine-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA, and four-time All-Defensive member.
George has a player option for nearly $48.8 million next season with the Los Angeles Clippers, which he is widely expected to decline. Despite getting up there in age, the six-foot-eight forward would have plenty of suitors once he enters free agency.
On his podcast, Podcast P with Paul George, he recently had Zach Randolph on as a guest. George talked with the former Memphis Grizzlies star about when his jersey was retired by Memphis in 2021. Randolph then brought up how George will experience that moment when his career is over, maybe even twice.
Nine-Time All-Star Discusses Having Jersey Retired By Two Teams
Will Pacers and Clippers Retire Paul George’s Jersey?
During the course of his playing career, George has played for three teams. He spent the first seven seasons with the Pacers, the following two with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the last five with the Clippers.
Paul George shared his hope that his jersey would be retired by Pacers and Clippers, acknowledging that it’s a franchise decision while adding that he doesn’t think he was in OKC long enough for that consideration
Jokes that he would be booed in Indiana still pic.twitter.com/RUt31nEqs5
— Law Murray
(@LawMurrayTheNU) June 3, 2024
As George mentions, his Oklahoma City tenure was too short for a jersey retirement to be in consideration. This is true even though what was arguably his best season came with the Thunder. In 2018-19, he averaged a career-best 28.0 points and led the league in steals. His third-place finishes in both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year voting are his best finishes in both.
While with Indiana, George actually wore two numbers. After spending his first four seasons sporting #24, George switched to #13 for his final three Pacers seasons. He has continued to wear that number after moving on from Indiana. There is prior precedence of a player having two numbers retired by the same team. Kobe Bryant saw both his #8 and #24 Los Angeles Lakers jerseys retired in 2017. It is almost a near certainty that Indiana wouldn’t do the same for George.
Which number they would retire for George can be up for debate, if they choose to do so. While with the Pacers, George was an All-Star four times. In 2012-13, he was named the league’s Most Improved Player. In 2013 and 2014, the Pacers reached the Eastern Conference Finals, both times losing to the Miami Heat.
It remains to be seen if George will still be on the Clippers for next season and future seasons. In his five seasons with Los Angeles, he has been named to three All-Star teams. The Clippers reached the Western Conference Finals in 2021, where they lost to the Phoenix Suns in six games.
Exclusive List Of Players With Jersey Retired By Multiple Teams
There are just 14 players that currently have their jerseys retired by multiple NBA teams. That exclusive list includes Pete Maravich, Nate Thurmond, Bob Lanier, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Earl Monroe, Clyde Drexler, Oscar Robertson, Moses Malone, Julius Erving, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Dikembe Mutombo. While Jordan has his jersey retired by both the Chicago Bulls and Heat, he never played for Miami.
Time will tell if George finds his name on this list once his playing career is over.
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