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Why LeBron James Praised Celtics' Paul George For Something He Said Years Ago
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- Why LeBron James Praised Celtics' Paul George For Something He Said Years Ago
Why LeBron James Praised Celtics' Paul George For Something He Said Years Ago originally appeared on NESN . Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
LeBron James had some high praise for Paul George on the latest "Mind the Game" podcast.
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George came up when Steve Nash referenced his comments from a few years ago about what it takes to win a championship at this stage of his career.
"I don't think we have that enough in sports, actually. Or in life," James said about George's self-awareness.
"We talk about sports and in life like just being self-aware of not what you're capable of, because he's not saying that he's not capable of being the best player. But the self-awareness saying that, 'I think where I'm at in this point in my career, if I'm the highest usage guy on a team or I'm shooting all the balls or if I'm the everything, you know, I have to do all this, then I don't believe that's the best ingredients to win a championship.'
"That's commendable to anybody. Shout out PG for that, for sure."
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George knows what it's like to be the focal point of a team.
He finished third in MVP voting in 2018-19 as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, averaging a career-high 28.0 points per game. He's since transitioned from being a primary scoring option to playing a more complementary role alongside other established stars. He played alongside Kawhi Leonard with the LA Clippers before teaming up with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Now, he's Jayson Tatum's co-star on the Celtics , and he appears comfortable in his new role.
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Through six games, George is Boston's second-leading scorer, averaging 20.7 points per game. He's also averaging 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.3 steals while ranking fourth in the NBA in deflections .
At 36, George is embracing a role that allows him to contribute to a championship contender without being its primary offensive option.
What did Paul George say?
Here is some of what George said on " The Old Man and The Three " in 2023:
"I had to be honest to myself. In order for me to win at the highest level and get to where I want to get to, I don't think I'm the one guy. I can, I can score with the best, I can take over games with the best. But I don't honestly think that's what my game is if I want to win a championship. I don't think that's where my place is if I want to win a championship. I felt like I learned that."
