A study by the NCAA revealed that on average only 1.1% of the nearly 4,300 draft eligible Division I college players make it to the NBA. A young Paul George may not have had the exact number but was aware that the odds of making it to the league were low. However, he was willing to pull out all the stops to boost his chances of fulfilling his NBA dream, even seeking divine intervention.
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On the latest episode of Podcast P, he confessed to his father Paul George Sr. that he once sprinkled holy water over himself in hopes of making it to the NBA. He recalled that when he was in high school, he saw an infomercial about holy water, which claimed that sprinkling it would bring the blessings of a Holy Ghost. George believed the Holy Ghost would grant him any wish so he tried it out. He told his father,
“I don’t think moms or pops know that story of me ordering the holy water. I was probably like 15-16 years old, and this particular infomercial was about people having the holy ghost, based off of this holy water. I’m watching this, and I’m like, ‘Alright well,’ It’s worth a try.”
George was ecstatic when he called the number on the infomercial and was told that a sample of the holy water was free of cost. So he proceeded to order some for himself. The 76ers superstar revealed,
“I call in and I think it was all free. I think they mailed me something, I had to fill out the information. Maybe like two weeks later they sent me this little holy water sample or something like that. I remember I prayed, I sprinkled the holy water on me. I was like, ‘What’s the worst that can happen?’ My prayer behind it was I just wanna be an NBA player. Like I wanna be the best basketball player I can be.”
PG never told pops about taking holy water to help with his NBA dreams… until now. And the reaction is priceless 😭
New episode with Mr. George premiering NOW: https://t.co/hm6XdHrKjb pic.twitter.com/t4dLyJVk8x
— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) September 2, 2024
After hearing George’s confession his father quipped that the infomercial was why he made it to the NBA. While he said it in jest, his sudden growth after his junior year in high school, around the time of the holy water incident, does beg the question of whether it was divine intervention.
Paul George’s stunning growth as a player
George wasn’t projected to become an NBA star in high school. He did not play as a freshman and played only 30 games in the subsequent two seasons, averaging only 7.9 points, and 4.8 rebounds.
However, he had a stunning senior year, as he put up 23.2 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 3.1 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game and led Knight High School to the Golden League championship. Despite his strong senior year, he was a three-star prospect and was ranked the 29th-best small forward in the country in the 2008 recruitment class.
He opted to join the lowly Fresno State Bulldogs and spent two seasons with the program. He averaged 15.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and two steals in 63 games, before declaring for the 2010 NBA draft.
George felt he had shown enough to be touted as one of the best forwards in his draft class. However, not many teams shared that feeling as five forwards were picked in the first nine picks before the Pacers took him 10th overall. Seeing five players who play in his position getting picked above him may have been a tough pill to swallow.
However, George’s dream of making it to the NBA had come true. The holy water seemingly did its trick. The 14-year veteran has since established himself as the best player from that draft class and one of the best forwards of his generation.
Regardless of whether it was divine intervention or relentless hard work, George beat the odds and carved out a Hall of Fame career.
