What would a title do for Paul George’s legacy?

Paul George has a Hall of Fame resume. 

Entering Year 17, George is a 9-time All-Star, 6-time All-NBA forward, 4-time All-Defensive Team member, an Olympic gold medalist, and is one of the most recognizable stars of his era. 

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And yet, it’s a tricky legacy. 

No one will dispute PG’s impact on the game. He’s one of his era’s most dynamic two-way players, and he’s been recognized as such. When it’s all said and done, George has made a good argument to be considered a top-100 player all-time.

But true championship opportunities have always eluded him. 

A lot of George’s legacy has been defined by what could have been, or in some cases, what should have been. 

No one would fault George or the Pacers for falling short in three straight battles with Miami’s Big 3, two of which were during George’s ascension into superstar territory and one that went down to a Game 7 in Miami, but George’s era as a Clipper is more complicated. 

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Their 3-1 collapse to Denver in the bubble was an all-time choke job, and it robbed us of what would have been a genuinely interesting series with a Lakers team they matched well with in the regular season. After that, Leonard and George played just 13 playoff games together across their next four seasons in LA, never seeming to find a way to stay on the court at the same time. 

There was also the weaponization of his “Playoff P” moniker, which has mostly settled into an outdated reference, especially after his admirable performance in the 2021 postseason without Leonard, and his revitalized play against Boston this past year as a 76er. Especially during his LA tenure though, if you were a true PG supporter, chances are you were having to fight against the notion that George was a playoff dropper.

As it stands now, he’s fighting within the category of “greats without a NBA championship,” but where he fits in that conversation can feel a little complicated. 

Legends like Charles Barkley, John Stockton, Patrick Ewing and Reggie Miller are some of the loudest names in that category, yet they all reached that final stage for at least one chance to capture a…

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Publish date : 2026-09-25 10:00:00

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