Paul George: From Fresno State to NBA Stardom

Paul Clifton Anthony George Sr., born on May 2, 1990, is an American professional basketball player currently playing for the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA. His journey to the top echelons of professional basketball is a testament to his resilience, skill, and unwavering dedication to the sport.

Early Life and High School Career

George attended Knight High School in Palmdale, California. Despite his talent, he wasn't considered a major prospect by colleges during his high school years.

College Career at Fresno State

George played two years at California State University, Fresno, commonly known as Fresno State. In his debut game, he scored 14 points in a victory 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, which 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. 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 in a loss against the Bulldogs to a score of 85-68. With a 13-21 record, the team failed to qualify for the 2009 NCAA tournament.

On March 31, 2010, George announced that he would forgo his final two seasons of college eligibility at Fresno State and enter the 2010 NBA draft. He made his first appearance on a 2010 mock draft on Draft Express a month into his sophomore season. By May 2010, mock drafts such as Draft Express, ESPN.com, and The Hoops Report predicted that George would be selected 12th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies.

Read also: Discover the story of Paul Skenes

NBA Career

Indiana Pacers (2010-2017)

Early Years (2010-2012)

George was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 10th overall pick of the 2010 NBA draft and earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors. On October 27, George made his NBA debut against the San Antonio Spurs, playing 23 minutes and scoring 4 points on 1-5 shooting. In a game against the Washington Wizards, he knocked down five three-pointers and finished with a then-career-high 23 points. George averaged 7.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists on 45% shooting in his first season, starting 19 of his 61 games. For the 2011 Playoffs, George was one of only two rookies from the 2010 NBA Draft to be in the starting lineup for his team, the other being Landry Fields for the New York Knicks.

On February 3, 2012, George recorded 30 points, 7 three-pointers made, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 1 blocked shot in a win against the Dallas Mavericks. George was selected to compete in the Slam Dunk Contest and Rising Stars Challenge during the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend. In the Slam Dunk Contest, George completed a 360° windmill dunk in the dark and dunked over teammates Dahntay Jones and Roy Hibbert. However, he lost the contest to Jeremy Evans. He finished the 2011-12 lockout-shortened season with averages of 12.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists on 44% shooting; George started all 66 games for the Pacers in the season.

Emergence as a Star (2012-2014)

During his first two seasons in the NBA, George played mostly the shooting guard position. However, with Danny Granger missing nearly the entire season due to knee and calf injuries, George began playing the small forward position and became the go-to offensive option for the Pacers in his third season. On November 21, 2012, George made nine three-pointers en route to a career-high 37 points in a victory against the New Orleans Hornets. The nine 3-pointers broke the franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a single game, surpassing Hall of Famer Reggie Miller.

George was named the NBA's Player of the Week for the first time in his career in December, winning three straight games against Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Detroit. He recorded his first career triple-double in a victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on February 13, 2013, finishing with 23 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists and 2 steals. That same season, George was selected to play in the 2013 NBA All-Star Game in Houston for the first All-Star selection of his career. He recorded 17 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists on 7-of-13 shooting in 20 minutes for the East in a loss against the West, 143-138. George averaged career highs of 17.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists, and was the only player in the league with at least 140 steals and 50 blocks. In Game 1 of the Pacers' 2013 NBA playoffs first-round series versus the Atlanta Hawks, George recorded his first career playoff triple-double, tallying 23 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in a 107-90 win. On May 13, 2013, George was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. George led the Pacers with 18 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Knicks on May 14, 2013, in a 93-82 victory. In Game 1 of the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat, George made a three-point field goal at the end of the fourth quarter to tie the game and force an overtime period. During overtime, Dwyane Wade fouled George with 2.2 seconds remaining.

On September 25, 2013, the Indiana Pacers extended George's contract, electing him to be their designated player. The extension, which would start at the end of his rookie contract in 2014, was a "5/30" designated player extension (5 years and 30% of the salary cap), subject to passing the "Derrick Rose" test. The Pacers started the 2013-14 season 9-0 for the first time in franchise history. George finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals in a 99-91 victory over the Detroit Pistons. He then posted 23 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists during a 91-84 win over the Toronto Raptors on November 8. The following day he scored 24 points and added 6 rebounds in a 96-91 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. For his efforts, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week. With nine wins to start the season, Indiana became the first NBA team to start the season 9-0 since the Dallas Mavericks in the 2002-03 season. The Pacers undefeated streak ended at 9-0 against the Bulls on November 16. On December 2, 2013, he scored a career-high 43 points, along with 3 rebounds and 3 assists, in a 106-102 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. The following day, George was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month, the first time in his career, for the month of November while leading the Pacers to a 15-1 record. The Pacers finished the regular season with an incredible 56-26 record.

Injury and Recovery (2014-2016)

During the 2014 off-season, George was named to the training camp roster for the US national team that would represent the country at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. George had been considered a virtual lock to make the roster, but he landed awkwardly at the base of a basket stanchion after fouling James Harden during a Las Vegas scrimmage on August 1, and suffered a compound fracture of both bones in his lower right leg. After George was carted off the court, head coach Mike Krzyzewski addressed the arena stating the scrimmage would not continue out of respect to George and his family. George quickly went into surgery for the fracture, with a pin being inserted in the leg.

While no official prognosis was initially given, he was considered likely to miss the entire 2014-15 season. George, who had said he wanted to play at some time during the season, was cleared to put weight on the leg in late September, and was shooting jumpers in practice in late October. He participated in his first full practice of the season on February 26, three days earlier than expected, and was ruled a possibility to play within a week on March 20. On April 5, George made his return to the Pacers line-up for the first time since sustaining his leg injury with Team USA.

Return to All-Star Form (2015-2017)

In the Pacers' 2015-16 season opener against the Toronto Raptors on October 28, George recorded 17 points on 4-of-17 shooting and 12 rebounds in a 106-99 loss. After publicly criticizing the referees following the game, he was fined $10,000. On November 6, he scored 36 points in a 90-87 win over the Miami Heat. Three days later, he scored 27 points, including a career-high 19 points in the first quarter, to lead the Pacers to a 97-84 win over the Orlando Magic. On November 24, George scored 40 points and made seven three-pointers, part of a franchise-record 19 by the Pacers in a 123-106 victory over the Washington Wizards. On December 3, he was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month for games played in October and November.

In the Pacers' season opener on October 26, 2016, George scored 25 points in a 130-121 overtime win over the Dallas Mavericks. On November 1, he scored 30 points, including Indiana's final 12 of the game, to rally the Pacers to a 115-108 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. On December 10, he scored a then season-high 37 points, including 13 straight in the fourth quarter, to lead the Pacers to a 118-111 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. On January 29, 2017, he scored 33 points in a 120-101 win over the Houston Rockets, matching a career high by topping the 30-point mark for the fourth straight game. On March 15, 2017, he made six three-pointers and scored 27 of his season-high 39 points in the second half of the Pacers' 98-77 win over the Charlotte Hornets. On April 2, 2017, he had a 43-point effort in a 135-130 double overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. On April 14, 2017, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for games played in April in which he averaged an NBA-high 32.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists. In Game 3 of the Pacers' first-round playoff match-up with Cleveland on April 20, George scored 36 points, grabbed a playoff career-high 15 rebounds and finished with nine assists, one short of his second postseason triple-double.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2017-2019)

On July 6, 2017, George was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. The Thunder acquired him in spite of his pending free agent status the following year and George's stated preference to join the Los Angeles Lakers in his native Southern California. In his debut for the Thunder in their season opener on October 19, 2017, George scored a team-high 28 points in a 105-84 win over the New York Knicks. On November 10, 2017, he scored a season-high 42 points in a 120-111 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. He made 13 of 22 shots and had nine rebounds and seven assists. After starting the season with an 8-12 record, the Thunder improved to 20-15 with a 124-107 win over the Toronto Raptors on December 27. On January 20, 2018, he had a 36-point effort in a 148-124 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. On January 27, 2018, George was named as a replacement for the injured DeMarcus Cousins on Team LeBron for the 2018 NBA All-Star Game. On February 1, 2018, he scored a season-high 43 points in a 127-124 loss to the Denver Nuggets. In the Thunder's regular season finale on April 11, 2018, George scored 40 points in a 137-123 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. In Game 1 of the Thunder's first-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz, George scored 36 points in a 116-108 win. While he still wanted to return to Southern California, George also "loved the situation" with Oklahoma City.

Read also: Celebrating HBCU Culture

Los Angeles Clippers (2019-2024)

After a brief two-year stint with the Thunder, George joined forces with Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers in 2019-20. He took on a reduced role compared to his borderline-MVP campaign the year prior, seeing about seven fewer minutes per game and averaging 21.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals. George also missed 24 games between pre-season double shoulder surgery and a hamstring injury in January. The absences were largely an anomaly, however, as George had played at least 75 games in the four prior campaigns.

During the 2020 NBA Playoffs in Orlando, Florida, following the abrupt halt of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, George drew frequent criticism from NBA fans and media for his inconsistent performance. In 13 playoff games, George averaged 20.2 points per game, marking his lowest postseason scoring average since his third season in the NBA.

On October 22, 2022, George scored 40 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and had 6 assists in an 111-109 win over the Sacramento Kings. On April 1, George scored a season-high 41 points against the Charlotte Hornets on 14-of-21 shooting, going 8-of-12 from three and 5-of-5 from the free throw line in a 130-118 win. On April 7, George scored 39 points with 23 in the fourth quarter, along with 11 rebounds and seven assists in a 120-118 win with George making the go-ahead bucket followed by a block in the final play.

George struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness in the 2024-2025 season.

Philadelphia 76ers (2024-Present)

After spending an injury-riddled five years on the Clippers, George signed a four-year max contract with the 76ers over the summer. On November 4, he made his 76ers debut, putting up 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists in a 118-116 loss to the Phoenix Suns. On December 16, George put up 33 points, five rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and one block in a 121-108 win over the Charlotte Hornets. On March 17, 2025, it was announced that George would miss the remainder of the season due to adductor and knee injuries. In 41 games, George averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game.

Player Profile

Strengths

George has established himself as one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. In addition to his athleticism, he has developed a reputation as a high-flyer by participating in the 2012 and 2014 Slam Dunk Contest. Following the Pacers' win over the Denver Nuggets on February 10, 2014, Nuggets head coach Brian Shaw, called George "the best two-way player in the game".

Nickname

In August 2014, it was announced George had changed his uniform number from 24 to 13, giving him the more marketable moniker of PG-13.

Endorsements

George signed with Nike as a rookie and had a signature footwear and apparel line from 2017 to 2022.

tags: #paul #george #college #information