Paul George on Splitting With Kawhi Leonard: 'It Was Tough to Leave Him'

The nine-time All-Star signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency, leaving his co-star in Leonard after five seasons.

Feb 10, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) and forward Paul George (13) look on in the second half against the Detroit Pistons at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

New Philadelphia 76ers wing Paul George detailed his decision to leave the Los Angeles Clippers in Monday's new episode of Podcast P with Paul George.

The nine-time All-Star broke down the decision making process and what it was like to leave Kawhi Leonard, who he joined up with in Los Angeles five years ago in pursuit of an NBA title.

Even though George elected to leave in free agency, he wasn't going to depart without speaking with Leonard, his longtime teammate.

"Absolutely, I owed Kawhi that conversation," George said of Leonard before his departure. "I called him up and was just like, 'Man, listen, you know I think I'ma go elsewhere. Conversations with the Clippers didn't go how I wanted to.'

"I kinda broke down...how it all played out and we had that conversation. I was like, 'Man, like I gotta do what's best.' And he understood. He's like, 'Go get your bag. I can't even be mad at you.' And I look at Kawhi as one of my best friends in this league. You know? Somebody I f--- with. Our families love each other. It was tough to leave him, just with how much I enjoyed being out there with him. That was a big decision too, that weighed a lot on me. ...But I had to have that conversation. We talked and he gave me his blessings of like, 'Man, you know, go do what's best for you.'"

“I owed Kawhi that conversation ... it was tough to leave him.”

PG got Kawhi’s support on his free agency decision 🤝 @coinbase pic.twitter.com/FY2z1XR0lN

— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) July 8, 2024

George and Leonard's partnership in Los Angeles over five seasons certainly did not go as planned, as the duo won all of three playoff series together and advanced to only one conference finals in the 2020-21 season.

Now George is off to Philadelphia to try to win the elusive NBA championship that he has been chasing for his entire career.