Paul George probably thought his comments about the Charlotte Hornets would fade into the usual NBA noise. Instead, Charlotte made sure he’d regret every word. Just days after the Philadelphia 76ers star trashed the Hornets’ “winning culture,” Charlotte went out and did exactly what winning organizations do: they won when it mattered most.
How Did Paul George’s Hornets Comments Backfire So Quickly?
George doesn’t have a championship ring to his name. The nine-time All-Star has reached the conference finals on three occasions, twice with the Indiana Pacers and once with the Los Angeles Clippers, but never appeared in the finals.
Despite his lack of championship success, George recently called out the Hornets for their inability to compete in the East. During an episode of “Podcast P with Paul George” from July 14, the 35-year-old made some strong statements about the North Carolina franchise.
“They’ve been struggling for years now, they’ve obviously got a superstar in LaMelo, but they not going nowhere,” said George. “Listen, if I’m in free agency, I’m not picking Charlotte just because there’s no winning culture there.”
Less than a week later, Charlotte’s players responded in the best way possible: winning. On Sunday, the Hornets defeated the Sacramento Kings to finish with a perfect 6-0 record and take home the Summer League championship.
The Charlotte Hornets are #NBA2KSummerLeague Champions!
Undefeated in Vegas 🏆 pic.twitter.com/rKg2bYkGUm
— NBA (@NBA) July 21, 2025
What Did NBA Fans Say About George’s Poor Timing?
Following the Hornets’ championship on Sunday, NBA fans on social media immediately turned their attention to George. The posts started rolling in, with many fans roasting and ridiculing the 76ers forward.
“Franchise has more rings than you,” said one fan on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“Hornets have more NBA championships than Paul George btw,” commented a fan.
Hornets have more NBA championships than Paul George btw https://t.co/2nhpHKSOIS
— Thomas⚓️ (@VandySportsFan) July 21, 2025
“Won a ring before PeeGee,” posted another fan.
One fan simply responded to George’s comments with an image of the championship Hornets and a thinking face emoji.
🤔 https://t.co/Ebj5PWnUnj pic.twitter.com/qA71SU1yCV
— 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒆 🌩 (@Three_Cone) July 21, 2025
The backlash extended beyond just this incident. George’s podcast has grown in popularity since he launched the project in 2023, with his YouTube channel attracting over 802,000 subscribers, but it has also put him in some awkward situations.
“Paul George has done nothing but nuke his reputation since finding out how a mic works,” commented one account.
Paul George has done nothing but nuke his reputation since finding out how a mic works https://t.co/sg69k9UPOH
— most trusted NBA opinion (@dopeyballs) July 16, 2025
“Paul George might be the GOAT when it comes to lacking self awareness.” said another fan.
Who Has the Better Recent Track Record: George or Charlotte?
The Charlotte Hornets have not been to the playoffs since 2016, currently the longest postseason drought in the NBA. However, with some talented young players like LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Tre Mann and Kon Knueppel on the roster, they seem to be progressing in the right direction.
Meanwhile, George seems to be heading in the opposite direction. Since reaching the conference finals with Los Angeles in 2021, George’s Clippers failed to make it out of the first round of the playoffs over the next three seasons.
The California native would have been confident about putting together a deep playoff run when he joined 2023 MVP Joel Embiid and highly rated guard Tyrese Maxey in Philadelphia in 2024. Instead, the 76ers plummeted to a 24-58 record in 2024-25, their worst finish in nearly a decade.
