Anyone who follows the NBA knows that the Los Angeles Clippers very obviously play second fiddle to the Los Angeles Lakers in Southern California. It’s so true that the Clippers would likely have to run off an all-time dynasty to sniff the same love the Lakers get in L.A.
Even then, that love would probably only be temporary.
With that said, it’s bizarre that Paul George kept hearing the Clippers were L.A.’s “B Team” while he was actually playing for the Clippers.
During the latest episode of Podcast P with Paul George, George said other people kept telling him the Clippers didn’t nearly matter as much as the Lakers while he was on the team. It’s a frank admission — conveniently said after George is no longer on the roster — that probably speaks to an unsurprising loser mentality the Clippers franchise has yet to shake:
Paul George:
“I think initially, coming back to LA that was home. But it’s not the same love. Because when I was in LA, they said, ‘you should’ve been a Laker.’ That’s all I was hearing… I’m on the B Team. That’s how the vibe and the love felt.”
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) July 23, 2024
Look, it’s one thing for NBA fans in Los Angeles to say they care about the Lakers more than the Clippers. That’s fine. But as George alludes, it is a fraught mentality that only hurts the franchise from ever really rising to prominence. And it’s especially unwarranted for him, as a former player, to say this in public.
As George moves on to hopefully greener pastures with the Philadelphia 76ers, this sort of thing is clearly something the Clippers still have to work on. Well, if they ever want to be relevant, that is.
