Paul George Received LeBron James’ Acknowledgement After ‘Becoming a Man’

LeBron James has played for so long that either several players have long been retired, or some have just started their careers. In the case of Paul George, he has seen his entire career play out in front of the Los Angeles Lakers superstar.

The latter is not about to retire as he still has two seasons remaining on the $211 million contract he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers.

In fact, after an injury-riddled debut season with the franchise, he had a resurgent campaign. George quickly proved his worth, and his talent should allow him to stick around until his contract expires.

His legacy may not have developed into this had he folded when he was a young rising star. While speaking with former assistant coach Brian Shaw on his controversial Podcast P, the two debated how his first playoff campaign against LeBron James and the Miami Heat unfolded.

He didn’t have the mentality at the time of throwing the ball down… That was his coming of age as a man in the NBA… They (Heat) called a timeout. He (George) was walking to the bench, LeBron was walking to the bench, said something to him and dapped him, and to me, that was when it was like OK, you are in this echelon of being an NBA star.

Brian Shaw said

"LeBron dapped him and to me that was when it was like OK, you are in this echelon of being an NBA star."

(Via @PodcastPShow) pic.twitter.com/CxE2ik2Q1l https://t.co/xWeoseh7bM

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) May 24, 2026

Paul George agreed with Shaw’s recollection of the night when the guard dunked on Chris ‘Birdman’ Andersen. It was powerful enough to draw the entire Heatles’ attention, with ‘King James’ showing George the respect that confirmed to the world that he was a star.

2013 Eastern Conference Finals changed Paul George’s career

When Paul George and his Indiana Pacers met LeBron James and the Miami Heat in the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals, he was facing an uphill task against the defending champions.

The Miami Heat had a well-rounded team, and led by the trio of James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, many felt they would walk over the young Pacers.

Even though the ambitious youngsters pushed Game 1 into overtime, they still lost. In Game 2, as Brian Shaw mentioned above, George hadn’t started to impose his will.

That whole series, I tried to dunk everything that I could. From that point it kind of changed how I attacked the rim.

Paul George said

This was the nine-time All-Star confirming that the dunk on Chris Andersen changed how he was viewed. It also changed the trajectory of his career.

Led by Paul George, the Pacers pushed LeBron James and the Heat to seven games. Eventually, the Heat went on to win their second consecutive titles.

They met the following season again, and the Heat again surpassed the Pacers, this time in six games. However, California native’s legacy was set in stone, and even led to him almost joining James on the Cavaliers.

Paul George’s contract could keep him with the 76ers

This time last season, Philadelphia 76ers fans were not sure whether they wanted to see Paul George continue to play for them. But he stayed as the team decided to give the trio of him, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey another shot.

Now that that chance has expired, many felt a change would come. However, so far, they only have Daryl Morey‘s dismissal to count as something different from last season.

Now that Bob Myers, the architect of the Golden State Warriors’ four championships, is on the hunt for their next top executive, there is hope that the franchise’s future will be better.

But a full overhaul might take some time as Paul George’s colossal $54 million cap hit for next season makes him a non-starter in trade conversations.

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