Ex-NBA All-Star Gets Critical of 76ers’ Paul George

Jeff Teague believes Paul George could've handled public criticism for the Sixers better.

Apr 4, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) celebrates a three point basket and a lead over the Toronto Raptors with teammate guard Jeff Teague (44) the game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Pacers beat the Raptors 108-90. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

As Paul George re-enters the public eye with a batch of fresh podcast episodes, the Philadelphia 76ers forward is gaining just as much criticism as respect. As he’s found out in the past, that comes with the territory of being an NBA player,who consistently speaks on team-related topics, especially when things aren’t going as positively as planned.

For the Sixers, they wrapped up an injury-filled season, which saw them finish in the bottom three of the Eastern Conference. As a result, the Sixers have a top-three draft pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. While it’s a solid consolation prize, George and the Sixers are dealing with more pressure than ever heading into next year.

Recently, George welcomed Philly native Gillie on ‘Podcast P,’ and landed some tough love from the rapper-turned-podcaster. The ex-NBA All-Star Jeff Teague reacted to the clip of Gillie’s message to George on ‘Club 520’ and got critical of the Sixers forward’s response.

Gillie & Wallo dropped a Million Dollaz Worth of Game to PG on navigating Philly + more 💯

Pull up tomorrow for a new episode of Podcast P. pic.twitter.com/ZGtYyo6xJT

— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) May 18, 2025

“I respect that by Gillie, he ain’t hold back,” Teague said, tipping his cap to George’s most recent guest. “He went over there and spoke his truth.”

“PG… I think they would’ve respected if you were like, ‘[Expletive] all that, I was hurt! You don’t think I want to play? I’m not trying to sit out. I don’t want to go to the game and watch. That ain’t fun.’”

Teague and his co-hosts believed George’s response to Gillie’s full commentary was a bad look from a teammate perspective. As George’s teammate, Joel Embiid, was also called out by Gillie, the ‘Club 520’ panel believed that George should’ve been more defensive in the situation, since the reality was that the team battled many injuries throughout the year.

Embiid appeared in just 19 games due to a knee-related setback. He received surgery as the 2024-2025 NBA season was winding down. George battled multiple setbacks throughout the year and eventually decided to call it a season after 41 games.

While Teague was critical of George’s lack of defense for Embiid, George took accountability for coming up short during his first season in Philadelphia. While that won’t erase the critics heading into next year, it’s necessary to acknowledge the nine-time All-Star understands he has to come back much better after failing to meet expectations during his first season with the Sixers.