The Lakers haven’t been shy about how much they covet Paul George. In fact, they were initially fined for tampering because of it.
But fans can’t tamper, and with the Thunder visiting the Staples Center, Lakers fans let George know how much they wanted him. With the Lakers up by 20 points in the middle of the fourth quarter, they opened up with a ‘We Want Paul’ chant when there was a break in the action.
Lakers fans at Staples center chanting "We Want Paul" while playing the Thunder and Paul George pic.twitter.com/A7LTvHjCv5
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) February 9, 2018
That’s wild. They even gave him a standing ovation when he was introduced before the game started:
As expected Paul George gets a nice ovation when introduced
— Bob Garcia IV (@bgarcia90) February 9, 2018
The Lakers claimed they weren’t focusing on the 2018 free agency class earlier this week, but with fans clamoring for George and now two max slots opened up after Thursday’s trade deadline, they’ve got to at least check on George this summer. He hasn’t completely ruled them out — he even mentioned them on Wednesday night.
George might be a long shot to leave Russell Westbrook and the Thunder, but seeing Lakers fans passion tonight certainly helps make a case for L.A. We’ll see whether or not it worked when he makes his decision this summer.