Paul George Expands on Big Update After 76ers Loss vs Knicks

Throughout a tough 2024-2025 campaign, Philadelphia 76ers star forward Paul George caught criticism for his performance. Being that it was year one of his newly-inked max contract, George’s struggles to live up to the numbers caused many to call out his decision to keep the ‘Podcast P’ show rolling.

While George has done his podcast in his free time, dating back to his days with the Los Angeles Clippers, many felt it was bad optics to keep it going, as the Sixers have been coming up way short of their goal of competing for an NBA Championship in 2024-2025.

Recently, George announced he would be stepping back for a bit, putting the podcast on pause as he focuses solely on attempting to make a playoff push with the Sixers.

“It's no secret this season is up to this point, man. It hasn't been what we envision,” George said on the latest episode of 'Podcast P,' on Wave Sports.

“I know my goal when I first signed with Philadelphia was to bring a championship to these amazing fans here. I still remain positive about that and that is still the case and where I'm coming from. With that being said, though, I want to let the Podcast P family know that after today's episode with Dwight, I plan to take a break from the pod just to focus on getting my body right, getting mentally right, and helping this squad make a push towards our goal.”

Since George announced the suspension of the podcast, the veteran forward had one of his best performances since signing with the Sixers. On Wednesday night, the nine-time All-Star checked in for 42 minutes at Madison Square Garden to produce 25 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists against the New York Knicks.

After the game, George expanded on his decision to make the major change temporarily.

“The full focus is trying to get this team together,” George told reporters. “We gotta give ourselves a chance, taking it one game at a time. But we gotta give ourselves a chance to see what we can do down the stretch. … It was something that was kind of racking in my head a little bit just because of [being] new to the city. I didn't want to take away from that experience of learning the city and being deep down into the city.”

Paul George on pausing Podcast P to focus more on the Sixers' playoff push:

“The full focus is trying to get this team together. We gotta give ourselves a chance, taking it one game at a time. But we gotta give ourselves a chance to see what we can do down the stretch.”
— Sam DiGiovanni (@BySamDiGiovanni) February 27, 2025

Unfortunately, George’s impressive performance in New York didn’t result in a Sixers win. With another loss on their record, the Sixers are 20-38 on the year, in the midst of a nine-game losing streak. They are set to face the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night.

Despite the struggles and the less-than-ideal placement in the East, the Sixers are still in the Play-In Tournament hunt. The Chicago Bulls hold the final spot with a 23-36 record. Behind them is the Brooklyn Nets, who are 21-37 and on a two-game losing streak.

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