Paul George to document his NBA free agency in 3-part mini series
By Alex Mcewen
Paul George will document his free agency in a 3-part mini-series. Does this signal the writing on the wall for the OKC Thunder or is it a positive sign?
On Monday, June 25th ESPN put out a news release announcing a three-part SportsCenter mini-series highlighting Paul George‘s free agency titled “Paul George: My Journey”.
As per ESPN each segment will focus on a different aspect of PG’s process. To kick off the series George’s journey to stardom will be emphasized. On June 28, the second of the series features
"Part 1 will examine George’s rise to NBA stardom while the second part, debuting June 28, will follow him during his off-court pursuits as he prepares to build on his career. Part 3, which will air after George’s NBA plans are made public, will give viewers a look at what’s next for George and how he arrived at his ultimate decision. All three parts will be approximately six minutes in length."
The full press release can be viewed here: ESPN Media Zone
.@SportsCenter will document @Yg_Trece's offseason in a three-part series called "Paul George: My Journey" starting tomorrow in the 6 p.m. ET show. The first show will focus on George's rise to @NBA stardom. https://t.co/5cIsvC6Fog
— Ben Cafardo (@Ben_ESPN) June 25, 2018
Does it spell doom for Oklahoma City?
Not necessarily many NBA players have starred in off-season documentary series. Including LeBron James and Kevin Durant to name a few. Furthermore, George is not new to documenting his life, he and girlfriend Daniela Rajic post on Instagram, almost daily.
Perhaps, George agreeing to document his free agency signals he has an interest in a reality show. Similar to the reality program fellow NBA player Iman Shumpert and his wife Teyana Taylor appear on.
Some things about the PG/ESPN thing. #1 it’s not like it’s a hard knocks documentary. It is 3 6 minute pieces on SportsCenter. #2 ESPN has no certainty that PG is going to pick LA like everyone is assuming. There’s no way they could keep that on lock down.
— Down to Dunk (@DownToDunk) June 25, 2018
Also, the assumption from some leaves you to think that PG approached ESPN about this process. That’s highly doubtful. ESPN knows his process is a big deal and they want to capitalize on it.
— Down to Dunk (@DownToDunk) June 25, 2018
Reading the tea leaves
Full disclosure the NBA is currently in the period of what I like to call gossip season due to the high volume of rumors swirling around. However, there’s an abundance of rumors suggesting PG is returning to the OKC Thunder.
The latest courtesy via Sam Amick of USA Today. Amick reported there is growing optimism on the Thunder’s side George will stay, while there is pessimism in the LeBron James camp that George will leave OKC.
Conversely, Amick’s report falls right in line with what OKC Thunder general manager Sam Presti said after the NBA draft. In his post-draft presser, Presti discussed how the organization is excited about where talks with Geroge could potentially go.
Looking back, Presti made similar statements about Russell Westbrook last year after the draft and during his exit interview. Whereas, in Presti’s 2016 exit interview and post-draft presser he did not use the word excited when discussing Durant.
In closing, Paul George’s mini-series is the latest tea leaf for everyone to read. But, there will be many more to fall before the calendar hits July 1st. The difficult part will be accurately reading those tea leaves.