Indiana Pacers (2010–2017) Pre-draft and rookie season On March 31, 2010, George announced that he would forgo his final two seasons of college eligibility at Fresno State and enter the
2010 NBA draft. He made his first appearance on a 2010 mock draft on Draft Express a month into his sophomore season. By May 2010, mock drafts such as Draft Express, ESPN.com, and The Hoops Report predicted that George would be selected 12th overall by the
Memphis Grizzlies. Two days before the draft, Marc J. Spears from
Yahoo! Sports wrote an article about an anonymous Eastern Conference scout stating that "in five years, Paul George will be the best player to come out of this draft". Hoping to draft
Derrick Favors, the Pacers had discussed a draft trade with the Nets that would have sent
Danny Granger and the 10th pick to the Nets for
Devin Harris,
Yi Jianlian and the 3rd overall pick, but the deal fell through. George was invited to sit in the
green room during the draft and was selected tenth overall by the
Indiana Pacers. He became the highest NBA draft pick in Fresno State history. On October 27, George made his NBA debut against the
San Antonio Spurs, playing 23 minutes and scoring 4 points on 1–5 shooting. In a game against the
Washington Wizards, he knocked down five three-pointers and finished with a then-career-high 23 points. George averaged 7.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists on 45% shooting in his first season, starting 19 of his 61 games. Upon completion of his inaugural season, George was named to the 2011
NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
2011–12 season On February 3, 2012, George recorded 30 points, 7 three-pointers made, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, and 1 blocked shot in a win against the Dallas Mavericks. George was selected to compete in the
Slam Dunk Contest and
Rising Stars Challenge during the
2012 NBA All-Star Weekend. In the Slam Dunk Contest, George completed a 360° windmill dunk in the dark and dunked over teammates
Dahntay Jones and
Roy Hibbert. The windmill dunk is when a player brings the ball below their waist and with an outstretched arm swings the ball into the rim. However, he lost the contest to
Jeremy Evans. He finished the
2011–12 lockout-shortened season with averages of 12.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists on 44% shooting, George started all 66 games for the Pacers in the season. After beating the
Orlando Magic, who were without
Dwight Howard, in five games in the first round, the Pacers lost to the eventual NBA champions, the
Miami Heat, 4–2 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, with George making just 19 of 52 field goals.
2012–13 season During his first two seasons in the NBA, George played mostly the
shooting guard position. However, with
Danny Granger missing nearly the entire season due to knee and calf injuries, George began playing the
small forward position and became the go-to offensive option for the Pacers in his third season. On November 21, 2012, George made nine three-pointers en route to a career-high 37 points in a victory against the
New Orleans Hornets. The nine 3-pointers broke the franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a single game, surpassing Hall of Famer
Reggie Miller. George was named the NBA's Player of the Week for the first time in his career in December, winning three straight games against Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Detroit. He recorded his first career triple-double in a victory over the
Charlotte Bobcats on February 13, 2013, finishing with 23 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists and 2 steals. That same season, George was selected to play in the
2013 NBA All-Star Game in Houston for the first All-Star selection of his career. He recorded 17 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists on 7-of-13 shooting in 20 minutes for the East in a loss against the West, 143–138. George averaged career highs of 17.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists, and was the only player in the league with at least 140 steals and 50 blocks. At the conclusion of the regular season, he was named the
NBA Most Improved Player. In Game 1 of the Pacers'
2013 NBA playoffs first-round series versus the
Atlanta Hawks, George recorded his first career playoff triple-double, tallying 23 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists in a 107–90 win. It was the first postseason triple-double by a Pacers player since
Mark Jackson had one in the
1998 playoffs. On May 13, 2013, George was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team. George led the Pacers with 18 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Knicks on May 14, 2013, in a 93–82 victory. In Game 1 of the 2013
Eastern Conference Finals against the
Miami Heat, George made a three-point field goal at the end of the fourth quarter to tie the game and force an overtime period. During overtime,
Dwyane Wade fouled George with 2.2 seconds remaining. Despite George making all 3 free-throws and putting his team up 102–101, the Pacers ultimately lost as
LeBron James drove in for a buzzer beater lay-up. The Pacers lost to the Heat in 7 games. To cap off a great 2012–13 campaign, George was named to the
All-NBA Third Team.
2013–14 season On September 25, 2013, the Indiana Pacers extended George's contract, electing him to be their
designated player. The extension, which would start at the end of his rookie contract in 2014, was a "
5/30" designated player extension (5 years and 30% of the
salary cap), subject to passing the
"Derrick Rose" test. George had to be elected to one further
All-NBA team (at any level) or be the
MVP during the
2013–14 season to qualify for the 30% extension. If he met either of these criteria, the 30% extension was estimated to be worth around $90 million over the 5-year deal. If he had failed to meet the criteria, he would be contracted at 25% of the salary cap. The Pacers started the 2013–14 season 9–0 for the first time in franchise history. George finished with 31 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals in a 99–91 victory over the
Detroit Pistons. He then posted 23 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists during a 91–84 win over the
Toronto Raptors on November 8. The following day he scored 24 points and added 6 rebounds in a 96–91 victory over the
Brooklyn Nets. On December 2, 2013, he scored a career-high 43 points, along with 3 rebounds and 3 assists, in a 106–102 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. The following day, George was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month, the first time in his career, for the month of November while leading the Pacers to a 15–1 record. The Pacers finished the regular season with an incredible 56–26 record. In the
2014 playoffs, the Pacers eliminated the
Atlanta Hawks and the
Washington Wizards in the first two rounds. In game 4 against the Wizards, George scored a then playoff career-high 39 points. The Pacers were eliminated in the
Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat for the third straight year. For his efforts, George was named to the All-NBA third team, which qualified him for the full 30% extension and All-Defensive First Team.
2014–15 season: off-season injury react after George suffered a serious leg injury during the fourth quarter of an intra-squad scrimmage on August 1, 2014 During the 2014 off-season, George was named to the training camp roster for the
US national team that would represent the country at the
2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. George had been considered a virtual lock to make the roster, but he landed awkwardly at the base of a basket stanchion after fouling
James Harden during a
Las Vegas scrimmage on August 1, and suffered a
compound fracture of both bones in his lower right leg. After George was carted off the court, head coach
Mike Krzyzewski addressed the arena stating the scrimmage would not continue out of respect to George and his family. George quickly went into surgery for the fracture, with a pin being inserted in the leg. While no official prognosis was initially given, he was considered likely to miss the entire 2014–15 season. George, who had said he wanted to play at some time during the season, was cleared to put weight on the leg in late September, and was shooting jumpers in practice in late October. He participated in his first full practice of the season on February 26, three days earlier than expected, and was ruled a possibility to play within a week on March 20. On April 5, George made his return to the Pacers line-up for the first time since sustaining his leg injury with Team USA. He scored 13 points in 15 minutes and made two key three-pointers early in the fourth quarter, helping the Pacers defeat the Miami Heat 112–89. He played out the final six games of the season for Indiana, averaging 8.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. After publicly criticizing the referees following the game, he was fined $10,000. On November 6, he scored 36 points in a 90–87 win over the Miami Heat. Two days later, he scored a career-high 48 points in a 122–119 overtime loss to the Utah Jazz. On March 19, he had a 45-point game in a 115–111 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. George helped the Pacers return to the playoffs in 2016, finishing as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference with a 45–37 record. On April 16, 2016, George played in his first playoff game since 2014, as he scored 33 points in a Game 1 victory over the second-seeded
Toronto Raptors. In Game 5 of the series, George scored 39 points in a losing effort, as the Pacers fell behind 3–2. The Pacers went on to lose the series in seven games. Following the 2015–16 season, George joined the
United States national team for the
2016 Summer Olympics.
2016–17 season in 2017 In the Pacers' season opener on October 26, 2016, George scored 25 points in a 130–121 overtime win over the
Dallas Mavericks. On November 1, he scored 30 points, including Indiana's final 12 of the game, to rally the Pacers to a 115–108 win over the
Los Angeles Lakers. On December 10, he scored a then season-high 37 points, including 13 straight in the fourth quarter, to lead the Pacers to a 118–111 win over the
Portland Trail Blazers. On January 29, 2017, he scored 33 points in a 120–101 win over the
Houston Rockets, matching a career high by topping the 30-point mark for the fourth straight game. On March 15, 2017, he made six three-pointers and scored 27 of his season-high 39 points in the second half of the Pacers' 98–77 win over the
Charlotte Hornets. On April 2, 2017, he had a 43-point effort in a 135–130 double overtime loss to the
Cleveland Cavaliers. On April 14, 2017, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month for games played in April in which he averaged an NBA-high 32.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists. The Pacers went 5-1 during this stretch and were able to get a spot in the playoffs for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. In Game 3 of the Pacers' first-round playoff match-up with Cleveland on April 20, George scored 36 points, grabbed a playoff career-high 15 rebounds and finished with nine assists, one short of his second postseason triple-double. After leading 74–49 at halftime, Pacers went on to lose the game 119–114 to go down 3–0 in the series. defending Paul George in 2017
Oklahoma City Thunder (2017–2019) 2017–18 season On July 6, 2017, George was traded to the
Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for
Victor Oladipo and
Domantas Sabonis. The Thunder acquired him in spite of his pending free agent status the following year and George's stated preference to join the
Los Angeles Lakers in his native
Southern California. In his debut for the Thunder in their season opener on October 19, 2017, George scored a team-high 28 points in a 105–84 win over the
New York Knicks. On November 10, 2017, he scored a season-high 42 points in a 120–111 win over the
Los Angeles Clippers. He made 13 of 22 shots and had nine rebounds and seven assists. After starting the season with an 8–12 record, the Thunder improved to 20–15 with a 124–107 win over the
Toronto Raptors on December 27. George scored 33 points against the Raptors and went 7 of 10 from 3-point range, tying the Thunder record for 3-pointers in a game. On January 20, 2018, he had a 36-point effort in a 148–124 win over the
Cleveland Cavaliers. On January 27, 2018, George was named as a replacement for the injured
DeMarcus Cousins on Team LeBron for the
2018 NBA All-Star Game. On February 1, 2018, he scored a season-high 43 points in a 127–124 loss to the
Denver Nuggets. In the Thunder's regular season finale on April 11, 2018, George scored 40 points in a 137–123 win over the
Memphis Grizzlies. He went 13 of 20 from the field, including eight of 14 3-pointers. In Game 1 of the Thunder's first-round playoff series against the
Utah Jazz, George scored 36 points in a 116–108 win. He set an Oklahoma City playoff record with eight 3-pointers, making eight of 11 shots from long range, and 13 of 20 shots overall. In Game 4, George scored a team-high 32 points in a 113–96 loss. In Game 5, George recorded 34 points and eight rebounds, as the Thunder rallied from 25 points down in the second half to fight off elimination and beat the Jazz 107–99. The Thunder went on to lose Game 6 to bow out of the playoffs with a 4–2 defeat; George recorded a game-high eight assists in Game 6, with a scoring total of five points on 2-of-16 shooting.
2018–19 season While he still wanted to return to Southern California, George also "loved the situation" with Oklahoma City. He decided weeks before free agency began on July 1, 2018, that he would stay with the Thunder, and never arranged a meeting with the Lakers. On November 8, he had 20 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and six steals in a 98–80 win over the
Houston Rockets, helping the Thunder win seven straight after starting the season 0–4. On November 14, he scored a then season-high 35 points in a 128–103 win over the
New York Knicks. On December 5, he scored 25 of his 47 points in the fourth quarter, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds left that gave the Thunder a 114–112 victory over the
Brooklyn Nets. On December 19, he recorded 43 points and 12 rebounds in a 132–113 win over the
Sacramento Kings. On December 22, he had 43 points and 14 rebounds in a 107–106 win over the Jazz. On January 29, he scored 31 of his 37 points in the first half of the Thunder's 126–117 win over the
Orlando Magic. On February 1, he scored 43 points and had a career-high 10 3-pointers in a 118–102 win over the
Miami Heat. On February 5, he scored 39 points in a 132–122 win over the Magic, thus scoring at least 37 points for the fifth straight game. On February 9, he scored 45 points in a 117–112 win over the Rockets. On February 11, he recorded his third career triple-double with 47 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a 120–111 win over the
Portland Trail Blazers. On February 22, he scored 45 points and hit the game-winning floater with 0.8 seconds left in the second overtime to lift the Thunder to a 148–147 win over the Jazz. On February 26, George injured his shoulder against the
Denver Nuggets which led to his three-point percentages decreasing from 40.2% to 33.8% on 9.7 attempts per game. Despite this, he was named Western Conference Player of the Month for February and subsequently finished the season third in both
MVP and
DPOY voting. The Thunder were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Trail Blazers in five games, with George scoring 36 points in Game 5. George had two surgeries on his shoulder from the game on February 26 during the off-season, with the first surgery being on a partially torn tendon and the other on his labrum.
Los Angeles Clippers (2019–2024) 2019–20 season On July 10, 2019, George was sent from the Thunder to the Clippers for
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander,
Danilo Gallinari, five first-round draft picks, and the rights to swap two other first-round picks, in a trade which helped the Clippers sign top free agent
Kawhi Leonard that offseason. After missing the first eleven games of the regular season recovering from two shoulder surgeries. George made his Clippers debut on November 14, 2019, against the
New Orleans Pelicans, scoring 33 points in a 132–127 loss. Two days later, in his home debut against the
Atlanta Hawks, George put up 37 points in just 20 minutes in a 150–101 victory. On December 9, George made his return to Indiana and recorded 36 points and nine rebounds in a 110–99 win over his former team in the
Indiana Pacers. Four days later, George scored a season-high 46 points in a 124–117 win over the
Minnesota Timberwolves, as he and
Kawhi Leonard became the first duo in Clippers history to each score 40 points in a single game with Leonard scoring 42. During the
2020 NBA Playoffs in
Orlando, Florida, following the
abrupt halt of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, George drew frequent criticism from NBA fans and media for his inconsistent performance. In 13 playoff games, George averaged 20.2 points per game, marking his lowest postseason scoring average since his third season in the NBA. He shot 39.8% from the field, which was the fourth occasion in his career that he finished a playoff series with a shooting percentage below 40%. George in particular was blamed for the Clippers' second round loss to the
Denver Nuggets, in which the team squandered a 3–1 series lead, becoming the 12th team in NBA history to do so. In Game 7 against the Nuggets, George only scored 10 points on 25% shooting and failed to score in the 4th quarter. George's dismal performance in Game 7 included one memorable miss on a three-point shot attempt in which the ball hit the side of the backboard. In online forums, such as the social media website
Twitter, George garnered the nickname "Pandemic P," which is an ironic reference to the "Playoff P" nickname that George infamously christened himself with a few years prior.
2020–21 season On December 10, 2020, George signed a four-year, $190 million contract extension with the Clippers. On December 22, George scored 33 points, of which 26 were in the second half, to lead the Clippers to a 116–109 season-opening victory over the defending champion
Los Angeles Lakers. In Game 6 of the Conference Semifinals against the
Utah Jazz, George recorded 28 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in a 131–119 victory, leading the Clippers to the
Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. Playing against the
Phoenix Suns in his third career Conference Finals, George scored a playoff career-high 41 points, alongside 13 rebounds and six assists in a crucial 116–102 Game 5 victory. The Clippers lost to the Suns in six games.
2021–22 season On October 29, 2021, George scored a season-high 42 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a 92–111 loss to the
Portland Trail Blazers. On December 6, during a 102–90 win over the Trail Blazers, George sprained his elbow and missed the next five games before returning to the lineup in a 92–116 loss to the
San Antonio Spurs on December 20. On December 25, the Clippers announced that George had suffered a torn
ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow. On March 29, 2022, his first game back from injury, George scored 34 points, with six assists and four steals, in a 121–115 comeback victory over the
Utah Jazz. On April 9, George tied his career best with 12 assists and added 23 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals in a 117–98 win over the
Sacramento Kings.
2022–23 season On October 22, 2022, George scored 40 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and had 6 assists in an 111–109 win over the
Sacramento Kings. It was the 20th time in his career, including playoffs, where he scored at least 40 points, and his fifth as a member of the Clippers. On October 31, George put up 35 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, six steals, and two blocks, alongside a game-winner in a 95–93 win over the
Houston Rockets. On December 14, George recorded his 4th career triple-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in a 99–88 win over the
Minnesota Timberwolves. On December 31, George scored a season-high 45 points, along with 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in a 131–130 loss against his former team, the
Indiana Pacers. On March 5, 2023, George posted 42 points and 11 rebounds in a 135–129 win over the
Memphis Grizzlies. On March 21, he suffered a right leg injury in a 101–100 loss against the
Oklahoma City Thunder with 4:38 remaining in the game. The next day, the Clippers announced that George was diagnosed with a right knee sprain and would be re-evaluated in two-to-three weeks, ending his regular season run.
2023–24 season On October 28, 2023, George scored 36 points and went 15 for 15 from the free-throw line in a 120–118 loss against the
Utah Jazz. On December 2, George recorded 25 points, six rebounds, six assists, and a game-winning three-pointer in a 113–112 win over the
Golden State Warriors. On January 12, 2024, George scored 37 points on 12-of-18 shooting, 7-of-10 from three, 6-of-6 from the free throw line in a 128–119 win over the
Memphis Grizzlies. On January 16, George scored a then season-high 38 points on 15-of-24 shooting and 6-of-12 from three with seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and zero turnovers in a 128–117 win over the
Oklahoma City Thunder. The Clippers were trailing by 13 by the start of the third quarter, and George scored 11 out of the final 14 points for the Clippers. On April 1, George scored a season-high 41 points against the Charlotte Hornets on 14-of-21 shooting, going 8-of-12 from three and 5-of-5 from the free throw line in a 130–118 win. On April 7, George scored 39 points with 23 in the fourth quarter, along with 11 rebounds and seven assists in a 120–118 win with George making the go-ahead bucket followed by a block in the final play. The Clippers were trailing by 26 points which marked the greatest comeback in franchise history. In game 3 of the first round of the
2024 playoffs against the
Dallas Mavericks, George shot 3-of-11 and ended the game with 7 points with 5 fouls in a loss. In the following game, George had 33 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals with 26 points during the first half, and a go-ahead corner 3-pointer in the late fourth quarter. The Clippers lost the series to the Mavericks 4–2. On June 29, 2024, George opted out of his player option in his $48.7 million contract with the Clippers for the 2024–25 season, becoming a free agent.
Philadelphia 76ers (2024–present) 2024–25 season On July 6, 2024, George--then 34 years of age--signed a four-year, $212 million contract with the
Philadelphia 76ers. With each of his previous jersey numbers, 24 and 13, being retired by the franchise, George elected to wear the jersey number 8 as a tribute to Philadelphia native
Kobe Bryant. The George signing gave the 76ers a star trio of George, center
Joel Embiid, and guard
Tyrese Maxey. The 76ers were expected to be contenders for the 2025 NBA championship. George struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness in the 2024–2025 season. He missed the first five games of the season after being diagnosed with a bone bruise from a hyperextended knee during the preseason. On November 4, he made his 76ers debut, putting up 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists in a 118–116 loss to the
Phoenix Suns. On December 16, George put up 33 points, five rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and one block in a 121–108 win over the
Charlotte Hornets. He also made six three-pointers and surpassed
Jason Terry for tenth in all-time three-pointers made with 2,285. On December 28, in a game against the
Utah Jazz, George surpassed
Vince Carter for ninth in all-time three-pointers made with 2,291. On March 17, 2025, it was announced that George would miss the remainder of the season due to adductor and knee injuries. In 41 games, George averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. At the time the announcement was made, the 76ers had a 23–45 record. George's season was described as "disappointing" and "disastrous".
2025–26 season On July 14, 2025, it was announced that George had undergone an
arthroscopic procedure on his left knee to treat an injury suffered during a workout. On January 31, 2026, George was suspended for 25 games for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy by taking "improper medication". ==Player profile==