![]() Chances are you’ve heard of it only because of that Afroman song. He grew up in Palmdale, California - more or less the middle of nowhere. It becomes pretty hard to root against George once you start reading about his backstory. “We all rushed to the hospital, and that night, the doctors declared her dead,” George said. She survived, but it took two years to recover, and George’s family still calls him “Man” after the way he handled himself throughout. As Lee Jenkins reported in Sports Illustrated last year, George’s mother nearly died from a stroke and two blood clots in her brain when he was 10 years old. ![]() That detail alone is enough to love him, because every time he explodes on someone, it’s an excuse to bring up Paul and Paulette.īut there’s more to it. ![]() We found out about this during last year’s playoff run, but until I went to write this story, I’d forgotten about this. GOOD: Paul George’s parents are named Paul and Paulette. So, how should we feel about Paul George? We won’t do that, but it’s been a year now, and there’s a lot of contradictory evidence to process. If this were the NFL, there would be daily conversations asking the world to decide “Is Paul George ELITE?” He’s gone from everyone’s favorite most underrated young player to everyone’s MVP candidate to one of the most frustrating players in the league to … wherever we are now. Since last May, the roller coaster from that Heat series has only gotten crazier. There’s no more perplexing superstar in the NBA. Now, though? Let’s talk about Paul George. We decided it wasn’t the best time to do a big “Paul George is awesome” piece. A day later, George shot 3-of-10, had five turnovers, and the Pacers got blown out at home. But all stuff that was still pretty much a mystery a year ago. So, the initial idea was to provide a guide to Paul George: where he started, how he wound up in Indiana, why he’s so good. It was like a superstar just popped up out of nowhere. That 10-day stretch when everyone went, “Where did THIS come from?” He was going toe-to-toe with LeBron and holding his own. Even though he’d been playing well the whole year, this was another level. ![]() Can you do it?” He was blowing up against the Heat at this point, and he’d just dominated a series against Carmelo and the Knicks. Last May, when I had just started working for Grantland, one of the first emails I got from bosses was a frantic “We need to explain who Paul George is and where he came from. ![]()
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