Paul George : The talent of an MVP, a career without a ring

Published on November 4, 2026 8 min. reading

There are players who make their mark on NBA history through their titles, and others through their statistics. And then there are those who leave their mark through their style of play. Paul George falls into this latter category. For over fifteen years, and still today, he has epitomised elegant, fluid and spectacular basketball. But behind this impression of effortless ease lies a career marked by achievements, injuries, criticism and comebacks to the top.

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From Palmdale to the NBA courts

Born on 2 May 1990 in Palmdale, California, Paul George grew up in a family passionate about basketball. From a very young age, he developed his game by watching his idol, Kobe Bryant, whose mentality and attacking skills he admired. He would go on to wear the number 24 when he made his debut for the Pacers and the number 8 in Philadelphia as a tribute to him.

Unlike some future superstars, George was not among the country’s most high-profile high school players. He joined Fresno State, a university that is relatively low-key on the American basketball scene.

Yet it was there that he began to attract the attention of NBA scouts. Height, wingspan, athleticism and defensive skills… He already possessed the attributes of the modern small forward. But above all, he displayed a capacity for improvement that intrigued observers. In 2010, the Indiana Pacers selected him 10th overall in the NBA Draft. A new chapter began for the man who would quickly become the face of the franchise.

Indiana: the rise of a superstar

When he was selected tenth overall in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers, Paul George was not yet regarded as a future face of the NBA. Having come through the ranks at Fresno State, he joined a franchise in the midst of a rebuild.

It took him only a few seasons, however, to reach a whole new level. Equally impressive in defence and attack, George gradually became one of the league’s most well-rounded forwards. His elegance with the ball, his fluidity and his versatility quickly made him one of the most enjoyable players to watch.

But it was really during the 2012–13 season that Paul George burst onto the scene in the eyes of the general public. He won the Most Improved Player (MIP) award, earned his first selection for the All-Star Game, and was named to both the All-NBA Third Team and the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. At that precise moment, it was hard to imagine that this was merely the beginning of the ‘PG wave’.

In the play-offs, he led Indiana to the 2013 Eastern Conference Final against LeBron James’s Miami Heat, where the franchise pushed the reigning champions all the way to Game 7. The series was marked by his spectacular dunk over Chris Andersen, which has become one of the defining moments of his rise in the NBA.

The following season, he cemented his new status. Averaging 21.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists, he continued to improve, earned a starting place in the All-Star Game and finished ninth in the MVP rankings. Under his leadership, the Pacers finished the regular season top of the Eastern Conference. Facing the Heatles once again, the Pacers were knocked out in six games. Despite the defeat, Paul George had definitively proved that he could compete with the league’s biggest stars. At just 24 years of age, one thing seemed clear: Paul George’s future looked set to be a brilliant one.

2014: an injury that could have brought it all to an end

On 1 August 2014, whilst taking part in a training match with the US national team, Paul George’s career took a dramatic turn. Whilst attempting to block a lay-up by James Harden, the Pacers forward crashed violently into the backboard and fractured his tibia and fibula in his right leg. The footage was particularly shocking and quickly went viral. At just 24 years old, his future suddenly seemed uncertain.

In the midst of this ordeal, Paul George received a call from Kobe Bryant. The Lakers legend encouraged him to make the most of his recovery to continue learning, observing the game and developing mentally. This valuable advice helped him approach his rehabilitation with a fresh mindset. Following his operation, Paul George had to regain his mobility and rebuild his physical abilities. This was a huge challenge for a player whose explosiveness is one of his key strengths.

This period also marked a change of identity. Having previously worn the number 24 in tribute to Kobe Bryant, George decided to switch to the number 13. From now on, it was ‘PG13’.

Eight months later, he returned to the court on 5 April 2015 against the Miami Heat. By the 2015–2016 season, PG13 had regained his All-Star status, averaging 23 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Just over a year after his horrific injury, he had once again established himself as one of the NBA’s best small forwards. A return to the top that will remain one of the greatest achievements of his career.

Oklahoma City : the MVP-calibre Paul George

Despite returning to the top, Paul George was unable to reach the conference finals again with Indiana. Knocked out in the first round of the 2016 play-offs by Toronto and then by Cleveland in 2017, the Pacers seemed to have reached their limits. After seven seasons with Indiana, Paul George headed to Oklahoma City in the summer of 2017, where he joined Russell Westbrook – the reigning MVP. A few weeks later, Carmelo Anthony arrived as well. The Thunder now boasted a particularly promising ‘Big Three’, capable, on paper, of rivalling the best teams in the West.

But the partnership proved disappointing. The three stars struggled to gel, and OKC were knocked out in the first round of the 2018 play-offs by Donovan Mitchell’s Utah Jazz. Carmelo Anthony then left the franchise, whilst George decided to continue the adventure alongside Westbrook.

This decision led to the best individual season of his career. In 2018–2019, PG13 reached an exceptional level, epitomised by his 28 points per game and 8.2 assists on average. Formidable in attack and as impressive as ever in defence, he finished third in the race for both the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards.

At the peak of his powers, he was unable to prevent another first-round heartbreak against Portland. It was a series etched in the memory for Damian Lillard’s monumental buzzer-beater, scored against George in Game 5.

Closer to the game…

Closer to the light !

The Clippers : the project that was supposed to bring him a title

In the summer of 2019, a real bombshell rocked the NBA. Fresh from winning the title with Toronto, Kawhi Leonard joined the Los Angeles Clippers. The Californian franchise then pulled off a sensational trade to bring in Paul George. The simultaneous arrival of the two stars immediately propelled the Clippers into the ranks of the title favourites.

But the first disappointments soon began to surface. In 2020, the Clippers suffered a historic elimination at the hands of the Denver Nuggets after leading the series 3–1. George’s inconsistent performances in the play-offs fuelled criticism and earned him the derisive nickname ‘Pandemic P’.

The very next season, PG13 silenced his critics against the Utah Jazz. Notably, with 37 points and 16 rebounds in Game 5, he helped the Clippers reach their first-ever Western Conference Finals. Against the Phoenix Suns, he even scored 41 points in Game 5, but Los Angeles eventually lost the series in six games. Despite the elimination, George produced one of the finest playoff runs of his career.

Unfortunately, injuries prevented the Leonard–George duo from finding any real consistency. Between repeated absences and early exits, the Clippers never managed to realise their ambitions. In 2024, their 51 regular-season wins resulted in a first-round exit at the hands of Dallas. After five seasons in Los Angeles, Paul George moved to Philadelphia without ever reaching the NBA Finals. His partnership with Kawhi Leonard will go down as one of the greatest missed opportunities of this generation.

The Philadelphia Disillusionment and the Boston Challenge

In the summer of 2024, Paul George joined the Philadelphia 76ers on a four-year contract worth $212 million. Alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, he formed a new ‘Big Three’.

The first season, however, turned into a fiasco. Hampered by injuries and a lack of consistency, Philadelphia finished with just 24 wins and 58 defeats, whilst PG13 averaged 16.2 points per game.

In 2025–2026, the Sixers bounce back thanks to Maxey and the young VJ Edgecombe. But George faces further physical difficulties, before being suspended for 25 matches due to anti-doping rule violations.

Despite this incident, Philadelphia returns to the play-offs before causing an upset by knocking out the Boston Celtics. He joins that very franchise in the summer of 2026 as part of a trade involving Jaylen Brown.

After missed opportunities in Oklahoma City, Los Angeles and even Philadelphia, Boston may well represent his last big chance. This time, Paul George no longer needs to prove he is a superstar. He simply has to show that he can help a championship-winning team succeed.

Article by Léonard Dehaëne