Former NBA player Montrezl Harrell , who last played in the league in 2023, recently sat down with senior NBA writer Brandon 'Scoop B' Robinson for an unfiltered interview about the basketball world.
When asked about his departure from the Clippers after the 2020 bubble, Harrell said the lack of team chemistry may have been why the front office decided to break up that roster. But his words also revealed that he definitely has some tension with Paul George .
"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. 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."
"If they were looking at it like, 'They're coming on, and in their first year they're supposed to win it all,' that makes zero sense. You've seen teams with LeBron, Bosh, and Wade that didn't win in their first year together. That's not realistic."
"A lot of stuff transpired in that bubble. People ended up losing loved ones—I lost my grandmother. Little do people know, those warm-up games that guys played before the playoffs started- I missed all five or seven of those games."
"I came right back for the playoff games against Dallas and Denver. I had zero rhythm. Mentally I wasn't there—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."
"I wasn't the only person dealing with something like that. Pat lost a long-term mentor; Lou Will lost a mentor—multiple things took place. It wasn't guys just going out partying; a lot transpired during that time," Harrell said .
When Robinson asked specifically about the criticism Paul George faced in the bubble, Harrell suggested he blames George for why the Clippers didn't extend his contract after the 2019-20 season.
"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. Quite frankly, I don't care," Harrell said.
"I stated that in the tribute interview I did as well, regarding how me and him got into it in that bubble situation. I feel like that had a strong trajectory on why the Clippers didn't sign me back the following year, so I don't make comments on him."
During the Clippers' loss to the Nuggets in the 2020 playoffs, the two teammates got into a heated altercation about defensive coverage that led to Harrell threatening to 'knock out' George.
Harrell's comments six years later suggest that, despite being with the Clippers longer, the franchise sided with George and didn't extend Harrell to preserve team chemistry. This still seems to bother Harrell.
Earlier in the interview, Robinson asked Harrell about what he feels about the former NBA players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White using their platforms to become social change activists in the WNBA, using what several people describe as a 'publicity stunt' by declaring for the WNBA draft to protest the league's liberal eligibility rules .
"I don't entertain that, to be honest with you. That stuff is corny and lame. I'm an actual WNBA fan. I've been to most of their games and went to Game 1 when the Aces made their back-to-back run. I was down there on the floor conversing with the MVP, All-Stars, and the MVPs of the league," Montrezl Harrell said.
"For guys like that to use their platform to disrespect it, that's corny. I'm not a fan of it at all. You don't gain any cool points off of it. You're two grown men running into arenas and public spaces, making a mockery of yourselves. Who is that helping? I'm never going to say I understand what you're doing, because what you're doing is corny."
"I know what you're trying to say about men not playing with women, but just use your words as a grown man. Don't try to berate women. Even when Enes Kanter got into it with Natasha Cloud, that was corny. You don't gain cool points off that."
"I'm not a fan of it and wish it were something they wouldn't do, because it's not highlighting the message they claim to have about protecting women's sports. I'm just not a fan of their overall stuff," Harrell concluded.
The 32-year-old NBA veteran joins several basketball stars in opposition to Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White's actions .
Ultimately, Harrell's remarks show that his relationship with George remains tense while offering an insightful look back at the Clippers' chaotic 2020 bubble experience. His criticism of Kanter and White also emphasizes his conviction that their own actions undermine the message they claim to support.
