LOS ANGELES -- A year ago, Paul George's visits to Staples Center were borderline recruiting trips, featuring plenty of cheers, signs and chants. But with him spurning the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency last summer, fans greeted him with hearty boos on Wednesday, including every time he touched the ball.
George, who grew up in nearby Palmdale, has been linked to the Lakers for a number of years, but he signed a long-term deal with the Thunder last summer without so much as giving the Lakers a meeting. Before being traded by the Indiana Pacers to OKC in 2017, George listed the Lakers as his preferred destination.