The Philadelphia 76ers made a huge offseason splash as they signed Paul George to a four-year/$212 million deal. PG-13 and Joel Embiid have joined forces to realize their Championship dream during the upcoming 2024-25 season. George has experienced the energy of the 76ers fans as an opposition player for many years now. But what will it be like to have them rooting for him?
Advertisement
Well, it turns out that PG is well aware of the wrath of the Philly fans toward their home athletes. On his Podcast P with Paul George, the 34-year-old recently touched upon the potential experience of playing at the Wells Fargo Arena in front of the 76ers’ passionate fanbase.
George termed Philly fans as “rowdy”, citing the stories he has heard about them being hard on their players. However, the two-way guard saw this as a positive thing as it reminded him of his Indiana Pacers tenure. According to George, such pressure from the crowd can motivate the players to show up and give their best.
The fans seeking accountability from players is an idea PG likes. He said on his podcast,
“Yeah, they [Philly fans] can be rowdy. I have heard the stories of them gettin’ on their players or whatever like that, but that’s good pressure. That’s a pressure you want. Indie was like that. It lit a fire under you, to play better, and be better.”
“I guess people would be scared of that, but you know it was kind of reassuring that they care. They want to win and I want to win,” PG added.
However, playing in front of the 76ers home crowd isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. If their player messes up, the fans are not reluctant to let them know their displeasure. George is used to the relatively calm and composed Clippers audience. But things will change fast for the 34-year-old after he lands in Philadelphia with sky-high expectations.
But at the same time, this can be a testy season for the 76ers in more ways than one. They haven’t made a Conference Finals appearance for multiple decades. Therefore, the pressure to make a deep Playoff run is at an all-time high, especially on the stars of the team.
After the addition of George, the team can’t make any excuses about lack of depth. So the new 76ers star is walking into a tricky situation. But as a seasoned veteran, he knows the rigors of bloated expectations and will be ready to help the 76ers put their postseason miseries to bed.
