Los Angeles Lakers: 5 NBA rivals if they were Disney villains

3. Paul George – Hades (Hercules)

Why he’s a Laker villain

Paul George longing to be an LA Laker was the NBA’s worst kept secret. Unhappy with the Indiana Pacers’ front office, he demanded a trade to his favorite childhood team. Indiana did not comply, instead choosing to send him to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

None of the above screams “Laker villain”. Yet, one season later when he had the opportunity to sign a max contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, he instead re-signed with the Thunder. His exact quote was as follows:

"“If ya’ll didn’t quite get it, let me say it again: I’m here to stay.”"

Apparently, he only meant “I’m here to stay for one season” because behind the scenes, he schemed with the aforementioned Kawhi Leonard and requested a trade to the Clippers. Not only did his move make the West much tougher to win for the Lakers, but it came when he still had 3 guaranteed years left on his contract, forcing the Thunder into an on-the-fly rebuild. Pretty villainous behavior if you ask me.

Why I chose this villain to represent him

Hades was never entirely successful with any of his schemes. “Playoff Paul” and his playoff failures have become a meme for good reason, with his recent numbers and performances in the postseason leaving a lot to be desired.

Despite not being pleased with the role, Hades feigned contentment and commitment to his role as Ruler of the Underworld for an extended period. While George was admittedly vocal about wanting to leave Indiana earlier in his career, he outwardly appeared to be thrilled with his new home of Oklahoma City, despite this clearly not being the case in hindsight.

If you’re a Disney fan and an NBA fan, Hades’ attempt out-of-nowhere attempt at a coup of Mount Olympus via assistance from the Titans looks familiar right? That’s because it bears a striking similarity to when out-of-seemingly-nowhere, PG13 decided to force his way out of Oklahoma to join the bad guys.