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Paul George
File:PaulGeorge.jpg
No. 24 – Indiana Pacers
PositionSmall forward / Shooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1990-05-02) May 2, 1990 (age 34)
Palmdale, California
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)[a]
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High schoolPete Knight (Palmdale, California)
CollegeFresno State (2008–2010)
NBA draft2010: 1st round, 10th overall pick
Selected by the Indiana Pacers
Playing career2010–present
Career history
2010–presentIndiana Pacers
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

Paul George (born May 2, 1990) is an American professional basketball swingman with the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). George played high school basketball for Pete Knight High School before playing two seasons of college basketball at Fresno State. He was drafted by the Pacers as the 10th overall pick of the 2010 NBA draft. In 2013, he was selected to play in his first NBA All-Star Game, received the NBA Most Improved Player Award, and was named to All-NBA Third Team and All-Defensive Second Team.

Early life and high school

George was born on May 2, 1990 in Palmdale, California to Paul and Paulette George.[2] He grew up with two older sisters: Teiosha, who played basketball at Pepperdine, and Portala, who played volleyball at CSU-San Bernardino.[2] Although George idolized Lakers star Kobe Bryant,[3] he grew up rooting for the Los Angeles Clippers.[4] George spent most of his free time playing basketball at the park or one-on-one against his older sister Teiosha.[5] He did not play organized basketball until his freshman year at Pete Knight High School.[6] He played for the varsity basketball team his last three years of high school under head coach Tom Hegre. George played for Pump and Run of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) with future UCLA Bruins Jrue Holiday and Malcolm Lee.[6] As a sophomore, he began the season on the JV team, but was moved up to the varsity after the season started.[7] During his junior year, he was the only underclassmen on the varsity team starting lineup.[5]

Recruiters began noticing George during the summer of 2007, while he competed in AAU tournaments.[7] Sensing George's potential, his coach handed him a leading role his senior season.[8] That year, George led Knight to the Golden League championship, and was named the Golden League Most Valuable Player, the Antelope Valley Press Player of the Year, and a member of the Daily News 2007-08 All-Area Boys' basketball team.[2][9] He ended his senior year averaging 23.2 points and 11.2 rebounds.[9]

Despite his accomplishments, George was not considered a major prospect by colleges. Rivals.com labeled him as a three-star recruit and ranked him 20th among a class of California prospects that was highlighted by Jrue Holiday and DeMar DeRozan.[10] George verbally committed to Santa Clara, the first school that offered him a scholarship, but he later de-committed from them because his high school coach thought he should keep his options open.[7] After a positive experience attending Teiosha's Midnight Madness event at Pepperdine University, George committed to Pepperdine on August 9, 2007.[7][11] Midway through his senior season, he de-committed from Pepperdine after coach Vance Walberg resigned from the program.[7][12] He ultimately chose Fresno State over offers from schools like Georgetown and Penn State because of greater opportunities for playing time.[5]

College career

George played two years at California State University, Fresno, more commonly known as Fresno State. In his first game with the Fresno State Bulldogs, he scored 14 points in a winning effort against Sacramento State.[13] The following game, George recorded 25 points and 10 rebounds in a losing effort against Saint Mary's.[13] Despite the loss, he made an impression with his one-handed slam dunk over Mickey McConnell that earned him SportsCenter's number 1 "Play of the Day" for November 18, 2008.[2] On February 9, 2009, he scored a then career-high 29 points to lead the Bulldogs to an 88-82 victory over Boise State.[14] In the 2009 WAC Tournament, the Bulldogs were matched up against Hawaii and advanced to the quarterfinal against the top-seeded Utah State Aggies.[14] During the game, he forced a career-high 5 steals and finished with a team-high 16 points; however, despite his effort the Bulldogs lost, 85-68.[15] With a 13-21 record, the team failed to qualify for the 2009 NCAA Tournament. He led the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in minutes played (1176) and finished second in 3-point shooting (44.7%), steals (59) and steals per game (1.74).[14] His 3-point field goal percentage was the third-best in the Fresno State Bulldogs men's basketball program.[14] He started all 34 games and finished the season averaging 14.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game on 47.0% from the field.

Entering his sophomore season, he was named the most entertaining player in the West region and the eighth most entertaining player in college basketball by Sports Illustrated in their list of the "Top 16 Most Entertaining Players in College Basketball".[16] On January 21, 2010, he sprained his right ankle against Utah State and missed the next four games.[14] He made his return on February 11, scoring a career-high 30 points in a winning effort over eventual WAC Tournament champion New Mexico State.[13] During the 2010 WAC Tournament, he recorded 22 points and 11 rebounds, but his team lost to Louisiana Tech in the quarterfinals.[13] The team finished the season 15–18, with George averaging 16.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.2 steals while shooting 42.4 percent from the field and 90.9 percent from the line.[17] He was named All-WAC Second-Team and ranked second in the WAC in free throw percentage (90.9%), steals (64) and steals per game (2.2).[14]

College statistics

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2008–09 Fresno State 34 34 34.6 .470 .447 .697 6.2 1.9 1.7 1.0 14.3
2009–10 Fresno State 29 29 33.2 .424 .353 .909 7.2 3.0 2.2 0.8 16.8

NBA career

Indiana Pacers (2010–present)

Pre-draft and rookie season

Jump ball before Game 1 of the first round of the 2011 NBA playoffs between the Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls

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.[18] 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.[19] 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".[20] 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.[21] George was invited to sit in the green room during the draft and was selected tenth overall by the Indiana Pacers.[22] He became the highest NBA draft pick in Fresno State history.[22] On July 1, 2010, he signed his rookie contract with the Pacers; a two-year guaranteed deal worth $3.9 million, with team options for a third and fourth year.[23]

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.[24] George averaged 7.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists on 45% shooting in his first season, starting 19 of his 61 games. He also showed his defensive skills, leading the team in steals-per-minute.[24] For the 2011 Playoffs, George was one of only two rookies from the 2010 NBA Draft to be in the starting lineup for his team, the other being Landry Fields for the New York Knicks. In the playoffs, the Pacers lost in five games to the Chicago Bulls, led by Derrick Rose. Upon completion of his inaugural season, George was named to the 2011 NBA All-Rookie 2nd 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. However, he lost the contest to Jeremy Evans.[25] 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 champion Miami Heat 4–2 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, with George making just 19 of 52 field goals.[26]

2012–13 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.[27] The nine 3-pointers broke the franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a single game, surpassing Hall of Famer Reggie Miller.[28] George was named NBA's Player of the Week for the first time in his career in December, winning three straight games against Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Detroit.[29] 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.[30][31] 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, but they lost to the West 143–138.[32] 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.[26]

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.[33] It was the first postseason triple-double by a Pacers player since Mark Jackson had one in the 1998 playoffs.[34] On May 13, 2013, George was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.[35] 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.[36] 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.[37] To cap off a great 2012–13 campaign, George was named to the All-NBA Third Team.[38][39]

2013–14 season

On September 25, 2013, the Indiana Pacers extended George's contract,[40] electing him to be their designated player. The extension, which will start at the end of his rookie contract in 2014, is a "5/30" designated player extension (5 years and 30% of the salary cap), subject to passing the "Derrick Rose" test. George will need 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. Should he meet these criteria, the 30% extension is estimated to be worth around $90 million over the 5-year deal. Should he fail to meet the criteria, he will be contracted at 25% of the salary cap.[41]

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.[42] He then posted 23 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists during a 91-84 win over the Toronto Raptors on November 8.[43] The following day he scored 24 points and added 6 rebounds in a 96-91 victory over the Brooklyn Nets.[43] For his efforts, he was named Eastern Conference Players of the Week.[43] With nine wins to start the season, Indiana became the first NBA team to start the season 9-0 since the Dallas Mavericks in the 2002-03 season.[44] The Pacers undefeated streak ended at 9–0 against the Bulls on November 16.[45] On December 2, 2013, he scored a career high 43 points, along with 3 rebounds and 3 assists, in a 102-106 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.[46] 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.[47]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Correct as of February 17, 2014

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2010–11 Indiana 61 19 20.7 .453 .297 .762 3.7 1.1 1.0 0.4 7.8
2011–12 Indiana 66 66 29.7 .440 .385 .802 5.6 2.4 1.6 0.6 12.1
2012–13 Indiana 79 79 37.6 .419 .362 .807 7.6 4.1 1.8 0.6 17.4
2013–14 Indiana 52 52 36.2 .438 .370 .856 6.4 3.4 1.8 0.3 22.2
Career 258 216 31.3 .433 .361 .817 5.9 2.8 1.6 0.5 14.8
All-Star 2 1 26.5 .500 .364 1.000 4.0 4.5 2.0 0.0 17.5

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2011 Indiana 5 5 26.6 .303 .231 .875 5.0 1.0 1.4 2.0 6.0
2012 Indiana 11 11 33.7 .389 .268 .786 6.6 2.4 1.6 0.4 9.7
2013 Indiana 19 19 41.1 .430 .327 .727 7.4 5.1 1.3 0.5 19.2
Career 35 35 36.7 .410 .304 .744 6.8 3.6 1.4 0.7 14.3

Awards and honors

Notes

  1. ^ Though NBA.com lists George's height as 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), a December 15, 2011 report from the Indianapolis Star said that George was 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m).[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ Pacers: George is still growing. indystar.com. December 15, 2011. Retrieved on January 1, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d "NBA.com: Paul George Bio Page". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  3. ^ Paul George Copied Kobe Bryant’s Work Ethic to Become a Star
  4. ^ DraftExpressProfile: Paul George, Stats, Comparisons, and Outlook
  5. ^ a b c Herbert, James (May 7, 2013). "Setting the Pace". SB Nation. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  6. ^ a b Ball, Brian (June 22, 2010). "Better Know a Prospect: Paul George, G - Fresno State". SB Nation. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  7. ^ a b c d e Mark Montieth (February 16, 2013). "No Limits: George's Rising Star Could Surpass Miller's (Part I)". nba.com. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  8. ^ Gutierrez, Israel (April 23, 2013). "Paul George growing into Indy's star". ESPN. espn.go.com. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
  9. ^ a b Gerry Gittelson. "ALL-AREA BOYS' BASKETBALL DAILY NEWS 2007-08 ALL-AREA TEAM". TheFreeDictionary.com. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  10. ^ 2008 California Basketball Hoops Rankings
  11. ^ Hicks, Greg (August 9, 2007). "Paul George Reaches Decision". Scout.com. Fox Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  12. ^ Hicks, Greg (March 6, 2008). "George Gets Release From Pepperdine". Scout.com. Fox Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  13. ^ a b c d "Paul George - Fresno State Bulldogs - Game Log". Rivals.com. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  14. ^ a b c d e f "Paul George Bio - Fresno State Official Athletic Site". gobulldogs.com. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  15. ^ "Fresno St. Bulldogs - Utah State Aggies Box Score". USA Today. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  16. ^ "SI Lists George as Most Entertaining Player in the West". gobulldogs.com. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  17. ^ "Paul George - Fresno State Bulldogs - College Basketball". Rivals.com. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  18. ^ "Paul George - Fresno State Basketball - NYCHoops.net - Rivals.com". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  19. ^ Packham, Drew (June 24, 2010). "NBA.com: 2010 NBA Draft: Consensus Mock Draft". nba.com. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  20. ^ Spears, Marc J. (June 22, 2010). "George making name for self as draft nears". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  21. ^ Wojnarowski, Adrian (June 24, 2010). "Buzz: Pistons still want Cousins - NBA - Yahoo Sports". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  22. ^ a b Staff (June 24, 2010). "Scout.com: Pacers Draft George 10th Overall". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  23. ^ Paul George Signs with Pacers
  24. ^ a b Price, Satchel (February 17, 2013). "NBA All-Star 2013: Paul George, when drafting on potential works". SB Nation. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  25. ^ "2012 Slam Dunk Contest results". NBA.
  26. ^ a b "Paul George wins Most Improved". ESPN.com. April 23, 2013. Archived from the original on April 23, 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ "Paul George scores career-high 37 in Pacers' OT win vs. Hornets". ESPN. November 21, 2012. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  28. ^ Lewis, Tom (November 21, 2012). "Paul George breaks Reggie Miller's single-game record for three-pointers". SB Nation. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  29. ^ "Players of the Week recipients, 2012-13 season". nba.com. April 15, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2013. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  30. ^ http://www.usatoday.com/sports/nba/game/boxscore/l.nba.com-2012-e.17678/
  31. ^ http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2013/02/13/paul-george-triple-double-pacers-bury-bobcats/1918419/
  32. ^ "Eastern Conf All-stars vs. Western Conf All-stars - Box Score". ESPN. Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  33. ^ Wells, Mike (April 21, 2013). "Paul George steps up as Pacers take Game 1 vs. Hawks". USAToday.com. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
  34. ^ Dwyer, Kelly (April 21, 2013). "The Indiana Pacers grab a 1-0 series lead over Atlanta, as Paul George notches a triple-double". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved July 28, 2013.
  35. ^ Allen, James headline 2012-13 NBA All-Defensive First Team
  36. ^ Notebook: Pacers 93, Knicks 82
  37. ^ Notebook: Heat 103, Pacers 102
  38. ^ James, Durant, Duncan lead 2012-13 All-NBA first team
  39. ^ George Still Green and Growing
  40. ^ "Pacers Sign Paul George to Contract Extension". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. September 25, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  41. ^ "Report: Paul George, Pacers finalizing five-year max contract". NBCSports.com. September 22, 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  42. ^ "Paul George leads unbeaten Pacers past Pistons". espn.go.com. November 5, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
  43. ^ a b c "Paul George Named Eastern Conference Player of the Week". nba.com. November 11, 2013. Retrieved November 14, 2013.
  44. ^ "NBA BASKETBALL". stats.oregonlive.com. November 16, 2013. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  45. ^ Heckman, Ryan (November 17, 2013). "Bulls Humble Paul George, Trounce Over Previously-Undefeated Pacers". rantsports.com. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  46. ^ Notebook: Trail Blazers 106, Pacers 102
  47. ^ "Paul George Named Eastern Conference Player of the Month". NBA.com. December 3, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2013.

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