It’s been nearly three years since Paul George wore a Los Angeles Clippers uniform, but it appears his past is still continuing to haunt him.
Former NBA big man and George’s former teammate, Montrezl Harrell, spoke in an interview with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson and was asked about his old teammate during the NBA bubble in 2020.
“I don’t make comments about that boy. Me and that boy don’t see eye-to-eye, and we ain’t on no terms, so I don’t make comments about him,” Harrell said. “Quite frankly, I don’t care. I stated that in the tribute interview I did as well, regarding how me and him got into it in that bubble situation.”
Harrell went on to say that he believes the team didn’t sign him back due to their altercation after they blew a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets during the second round of the playoffs.
During the middle of Game 5 of the playoffs, the two got into a heated exchange after a timeout was taken. The two were reportedly arguing over George refusing to take responsibility for a turnover that happened during Game 2 of the series.
Chris Haynes of Yahoo reported that Harrell told George, “You’re always right. Nobody can tell you nothing,” while the two shouted expletives back and forth at each other.
After the game, Kawhi Leonard told reporters that the team needed to build chemistry amongst themselves.
Leonard’s comments don’t appear to be far from the truth. Harrell told Robinson there wasn’t any chemistry among that teammates, but didn’t solely point the blame at his former teammates, by noting the COVID-19 Pandemic played a factor in it.
“What chemistry could you have when we were playing basketball and had to stop playing for a month? People had to stay in their house,” Harrell told Robinson during the interview. “We couldn’t go in the gym or be around each other. Who wouldn’t lose chemistry or cohesion after all that took place? That makes zero sense.”
Harrell went on to say for him, that time in particular was tough on him as he had “zero rhythm.”
“Mentally I wasn’t there,” Harrell said. “I lost my grandmother, and basketball wasn’t the first thing on my mind. The coaching staff and GM were hitting me up so much to come back, and I wanted to make the right decision for my team and not leave them hanging, but a lot went into it.”
Harrell continued and said he wasn’t the only one who was affected, as Patrick Beverly and former three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year winner Lou Williams both lost long-term mentors in their lives.
Harrell went on to play four seasons in the NBA until he tore his ACL during a summer workout in 2023.
George was with the Clippers until the 2023-2024 NBA season, and is now about to embark on a new journey with the Boston Celtics after spending the last two years with the Philadelphia 76ers.
