Lakers played role in Paul George leaving LA Clippers for Philadelphia 76ers

The Los Angeles Lakers are among the most decorated franchises in the history of professional sports. With 17 championships, a record 32 NBA Finals appearances, and a laundry list of Hall of Famers, the Lakers are widely regarded as the gold standard for the post-Russell era of the Association.

No franchise is more aware of the shadow that the Lakers cast over other franchises than the LA Clippers—and All-Star mainstay Paul George spoke candidly about his experience in that realm.

Carmelo Anthony and Mikal Bridges recently appeared on Podcast P with Paul George, presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment. Bridges, who recently joined the New York Knicks, and George, who signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, compared the experiences they've had with joining new organizations.

George candidly discussed joining the Clippers in 2019, citing the Lakers as a discouraging presence. He also spoke about how different his experience already is in Philadelphia.

"I think initially, coming back to LA, that was home when I first came back to LA. But it's not the same love. 'Cause when I was in LA, they were like, 'Man, you should've been a Laker!' That's all I was hearing. It wasn't no, like, 'Welcome to the Clippers! We happy you in LA, but you should've been a Laker!' I'm on the B-Team, that's how the vibe and the love felt. Now, being in Philly, being in the city, everybody's like, 'Man, we appreciate you here. We love you here. You're gonna love it.' It's just so much love around it."

The Lakers didn't run George out of Los Angeles, but it's interesting to hear an athlete open up about how the Lakers impacted their experience with the Clippers.

Paul George was never truly welcomed to LA because he wasn't a Laker

George played five seasons with the Clippers, famously leading the team to the first Western Conference Finals appearance in franchise history. This past season, he posted career-best marks in field goal, three-point field goal, and free throw percentage.

Despite his contributions to the franchise, however, George and the Clippers never managed to escape the Lakers' shadow.

It's the harsh reality that the Clippers have begun to acknowledge with recent organizational decisions. That includes building their own venue, the Intuit Dome, which will host all future Clippers home games in Inglewood, roughly 15 miles from the Lakers' Crypto.com Arena.

Even as the Clippers prepare for a monumental change in organizational identity, however, George has found a new franchise to play for in the 76ers.

With George heading to Philadelphia, there's a strong possibility that the Clippers will regress. They won 51 games a season ago, putting them four wins and three seeds higher than the Lakers—a fact that may not carry over into the 2024-25 season.

LA has added quality role players in George's place, and could win as a product of strength by numbers, but regression is a rational expectation.

That could be great news for the Lakers as they aspire to climb the standings and avoid the Play-In Tournament. Los Angeles, of course, has been forced to work its way into the playoffs via the Play-In Tournament in each of the past two seasons.

Regardless of what transpires next season, it's clear that the Lakers continue to rule Los Angeles and players on the other side of town are feeling the effects.