The recently concluded NBA Finals was the first in many ways for several athletes. While Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown clinched their first title win, Luka Doncic made his first Finals appearance. It was also the first trip to the Finals for Paul George, but he wasn’t there in the capacity of a competing athlete.
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On a recent episode of Podcast P with Paul George, the 34-year-old expressed how he felt covering the Finals as a media member, alongside Stephen A. Smith and Malika Andrews, for ESPN. He said,
“It was an experience. I learned a lot and I learned that, that sh*t is not easy. I was going into it like, how hard could this be…and then doing it and being a part of it, it was just like, man, this sh*t is tough.”
The reason George gave for his feelings was the lack of time as he had to address whatever was happening within a minute. Whereas, in podcasting, he gets to operate with a lot more comfort.
Another challenge that he faced was the company of veterans around him. PG-13 said, “You’ve got so many brilliant minds that want to give their take and discuss and so, you kinda have to be quick and sharp with your answers.”
So, in that organized chaos, he found a new respect for them, “I appreciate Malika. Malika is a star, bro. Just the way she was directing and demanding the room and traffic control and personalities, and she’s only like 28-29, she’s young.”
Paul George sur le plateau d'ESPN :
"C'est ma première en NBA Finals" 😅
"Je déteste que ce soit de cette manière. Respect aux deux équipes pour être arriver jusqu'ici. Mais je pense à ce que nous aurions dû faire et ce que nous aurions pu faire pour être ici".
via… pic.twitter.com/FArJXiOwEP
— STEPBACK (@StepBackfr) June 15, 2024
Along with Malika, he said that Stephen A., Kendrick Perkins, Michael Wilbon, etc. were all very helpful and made his job easy with their great bits of advice. During his appearance on the show, PG-13 gave Smith a good laugh too by saying,
“This is my first NBA appearance and I hate that it had to come in this fashion, watching from the sideline. It don’t feel good.” But Paul George wasn’t the only one in the mood for some comedy on the panel.
Joel Embiid tried to lure Paul George to join his squad
The offseason has started, so, it’s only fair that every team gets to work and figure out their team combination for the next season. While doing two jobs at a time isn’t really professional, Joel Embiid couldn’t care less if it adds more depth to his team. During his time working alongside PG-13, Stephen A., and others, he seemingly tried to recruit the Clippers star.
Embiid said, “Hopefully, this offseason we find a way to get better and add some pieces.” Interestingly, as he said, “some pieces” he side-eyed George, hinting that he wants the nine-time All-Star on his team.
His sneaky yet hilarious antic was an instant hit on the internet, and it even caught Trae Young’s attention. He wrote, “F That. Troel at its Finest.” Whether this was said tongue in cheek or if this will amount to something, we will know in due time.
