In the midst of one of the worst seasons of his career, Paul George is focusing all his attention toward basketball in a last-ditch effort at getting the Philadelphia 76ers’ season back on track. George, who hopped on the NBA players’ podcast wave in 2023 when he was with the Los Angeles Clippers, is putting his “Podcast P” on pause for the remainder of the 2025 NBA season.
“I want to let the ‘Podcast P’ family know that after today’s episode I plan to take a break from the pod,” George said Wednesday on his show, “just to focus on getting my body right, get mentally right and, you know, help this squad make a push towards our goal to finish this season out and give ourselves a chance to be in contention to compete for a championship.”
Currently, the 76ers (20-38) are in 12th place in the Eastern Conference, 2.5 games behind the Chicago Bulls for the final spot in the NBA’s Play-In Tournament with 24 games remaining.
“Paul George’s podcast isn’t the reason that (the 76ers) are where they are!” FOX Sports NBA analyst Ric Bucher said Thursday on FS1’s “Speak.”
“It’s got nothing to do with what’s going on the court,” Paul Pierce added.
Indeed, the 76ers are flailing because of George’s shortcomings, as well as former NBA MVP Joel Embiid’s lack of durability. Embiid has played just 19 games this season as he’s managed the pain in his left knee. Even when he’s on the court, though, he doesn’t look like his past self. He’s averaging 23.8 points and 8.2 rebounds, and he seems slower and less agile because of those knee issues.
George, 34, signed a four-year deal worth $211.6 million with Philadelphia last offseason and has yet to live up to that hefty number. He’s averaging 16.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists across 39 games for the 76ers as he’s missed 19 games with various knee, ankle and groin injuries.
“Just to mentally lock in,” Keyshawn Johnson said on “Speak,” providing advice about what he’d do if he were in George’s shoes.
It’s unrealistic to think that George’s production will return to what it was in past seasons now that he’s stopped his podcast, though. In fact, George committed a brutal turnover in the final minutes of the 76ers’ 110-105 loss to the New York Knicks on Thursday.
The 76ers trailed by 16 at halftime but mounted a comeback and took the lead with 4:22 left in the game. Jalen Brunson then went on a solo seven-point run to put the Knicks up 105-102 with 1:30 left. George, trying to answer that, drove the lane looking to kick to a shooter and threw the ball out of bounds.
George’s podcast might be on hiatus, but the 76ers are still a long way off from his goal of winning a championship.
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