Paul George’s departure from the Los Angeles Clippers came as a surprise, but the 76ers provided him with an offer he couldn’t resist. On top of meeting his contractual demands with a four-year $212 million max contract, they showcased how much his services would be valued, by including Julius Erving in the negotiations, which had a lasting impact on George’s father.
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When Paul’s father appeared on ‘Podcast P‘, he revealed how he is still incredibly starstruck when recalling the time when the Sixers brought out the legendary Erving for the pitch meeting.
“Of course, it was like me meeting Superman. I mean, back in the day, Dr. J was the man. I don’t care how you look at it, when talking basketball, he was the man… So when I seen him in person, I was like man, you just don’t know. You was my man.”
He noted how iconic Dr. J was to his era of basketball. In the same fashion as Allen Iverson in the 2000s and Stephen Curry in the 2010s, Dr. J was a big influence on basketball. He shared that “Back then everybody had fros, so you step on the court and everybody is Dr. J.”
George Sr. described the humbling feeling of Dr. J being vocal in the efforts of wanting his son to be a member of the Sixers. He even highlighted similarities between George and his career to this point.
“He started talking about how before he got his championship, he was missing that ‘missing piece’ and once he got it he won. Then he stated to Paul that he is our missing piece, and I was just like wow, that’s coming from Dr. J.”
The 76ers haven’t been able to surpass the second round in the Joel Embiid era. Following the departure of James Harden, Tyrese Maxey blossomed into an All-Star becoming the perfect second option alongside the MVP big man. However, George offered another scoring option with a two-way ability that will alleviate pressure off both of Philly’s stars.
The Eastern Conference will have tough competition among the top teams with the Celtics, Knicks, and Bucks all competing for an NBA title. However, the Sixers are no pushover, and George and his father believe this is the perfect situation to finally get over the hump.
