Thunder in the news: Paul George sheds light on why OKC made a wise bet

The OKC Thunder placed a bet on Paul George and won. For the first time since extending Paul George publicly discussed why OKC’s risky gamble paid off.

Dating back to February Paul George has been very complimentary of the OKC Thunder organization. Hence why George agreed to stay with the Thunder. When news broke it should not have been so stunning, yet it still sent shock waves throughout the NBA.

George had been leaving tea leaves for a while, only most failed to decipher them correctly. After the free agency moratorium passed and players signed their contracts most teams held press conferences, however the OKC Thunder and PG did not.

George discussed his decision to stay with the Thunder is his ESPN mini-series Paul George: My Journey. However, that is not the same as answering questions in a structured setting. Therefore, fans and analysts were left pondering George’s choice to stay in Oklahoma City.

During the first day of the USA Basketball mini-camp, the media had an opportunity to ask the players in attendance questions, including George. Erik Horne of NewsOK detailed George’s responses from his media session.

The Family Man

"“I’m a family man now,” George said.“I don’t need no distractions, I don’t need no big cities, no big lights, at this point in my career. For as beautiful as Oklahoma is, it doesn’t have big lights and none of that. But that’s fine. … I’m a low-maintenance, low-key, chill guy. I’m not out in the streets, I’m not out in the club, at parties, I’m not really at movie premieres. After games, after practice, I’m home, I’m with my kids, I’m with my girl, and I’m chilling."

The above statement from George is strikingly straightforward. Throughout life priorities change, things that were once important become unimportant, and vice versa.

George is a family man and he likes to fish, although he is a Californian, PG’s characteristics and personality mirror those of an Oklahoman.

OKC is simply a solid place to raise a family as Russell Westbrook, Kendrick Perkins, Thabo Sefolosha, and Derek Fisher can attest to. These former Thunder players certainly found that to be true, obviously, George did too.

Why George declined to give the Lakers a meeting?

In an ESPN article Marc J. Spears offered insight as to why George removed the Lakers from contention in free agency.

"“It was absolutely tempting,” George said. “Honestly, I wanted to come back home. But again, I got traded to Oklahoma. Loved the situation. Loved where I was at. I decided to stick around a little longer. …“I just wanted my free agency to be over with. In my heart, I felt great about Oklahoma and I wasn’t going to prolong it if I felt good about it already.”"

This snippet should be music to the ears of Thunder Nation. After Kevin Durant departed it was believed Westbrook would be the only superstar to enjoy playing in OKC. George proved that narrative wrong quickly signing a four-year $137 million dollar extension to remain with the OKC Thunder.

George appears to be at peace with his free agency decision. It’s easy to see why because later in the Spears piece PG discussed the close bond he developed with Russ, Sam Presti, Steven Adams, Andre Roberson, and yes head coach Billy Donovan.

More on Team USA

More from Thunderous Intentions

• Stealing one player from every Southwest Division team for the OKC Thunder
• Should the OKC Thunder chase after a disgruntled hometown hero?
• 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
• Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
• Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder

If you would like to know more about the USA Basketball mini-camp since George and Westbrook are participating TI has you covered. Check the Thunderous Intention’s take on the Team USA mini-camp here.

"Paul George and Russell Westbrook have each played on Olympic teams so this is nothing new for either player. The difference this time around is both stars arrive as NBA teammates and on the precipice of replacing the top tier of stars. More specifically, the banana boat boys (LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony) aren’t expected to be on the 2020 Olympic team."

In closing, George provided positivity about the Thunder and Lakers while speaking to the media during the mini-camp. However, despite his affinity for the Lakers PG remained with the Thunder. That aspect is one reason OKC retaining George is such a milestone for the franchise, and it should not go understated.

Enjoy the weekend Thunder Nation.