Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George believes that winning an NBA title with the Clippers would outweigh him winning a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“A championship with the Clippers 100% will outweigh a championship being with the Lakers,”
– Paul George
(Via @jbienkahn ) pic.twitter.com/fhwFeFDmcL
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 15, 2023
The Lakers and Clippers are two very different organizations historically, as the Lakers have won 17 NBA titles while the Clippers have yet to win one.
George, who was traded to the Clippers from the Oklahoma City Thunder a few seasons ago to team up with Kawhi Leonard, appears to want to bring the first title to the Clippers franchise.
There certainly is more prestige and history with the Lakers, but there is something to be said for creating one’s path by doing something that has never been done before.
George’s best chance to win a title with the Clippers may be this season, if he and Leonard both remain healthy. That has been the biggest issue for the Clippers since the two stars were paired together together ahead of the 2019-20 season.
During the 2020-21 campaign, George nearly led the Clippers to the NBA Finals without Leonard, who was injured in the second round of the playoffs against the Utah Jazz. Leonard tore his ACL, costing him the rest of that season and all of the 2021-22 campaign.
Despite that, George and the Clippers made the Western Conference Finals in the 2020-21 season, but they were knocked out of the playoffs by the Phoenix Suns.
Last season, the Clippers fell short in the league’s play-in tournament after George was ruled out of the second play-in game due to COVID-19. He also only appeared in 31 games during the 2021-22 season due to injury.
This season, the Clippers are playing solid basketball, holding the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference with a 32-28 record. The team added some talent at the trade deadline as well, acquiring guard Bones Hyland, sharpshooter Eric Gordon and big man Mason Plumlee.
Those moves should help the Clippers compete in the Western Conference, which has been extremely tight to this point in the season.
Lakers fans may not agree with George’s sentiment, especially since the Lakers are the more storied franchise, but fans have to respect his desire to win an NBA title for a franchise that has never achieved that goal.
