Paul George Responds to Stephen A. Smith's Kawhi Leonard Jab During NBA Finals

The veteran was not thrilled with the ESPN personality's comments during the NBA Finals.

Apr 14, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) forward Paul George (13) and guard James Harden (1) watche game action against the Houston Rockets during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith has made a living out of his hot takes, bombastic nature and lack of fear of ruffling feathers with comments that he makes.

So it was unsurprising during pregame coverage of Game 3 of the NBA Finals last week that he took a dig at Clippers star Kawhi Leonard with Paul George on set.

"Nobody on this planet knows what it's like to play without a star like Paul George, I'll leave it at that!" Smith exclaimed with the cast cracking up in laughter.

Stephen A Smith: Nobody on this planet knows what it’s like to play without a star like Paul George

PG: Don’t do that bro pic.twitter.com/J1HIsG6GyJ

— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) June 13, 2024

George, visibly uncomfortable at the time, gave a chuckle while saying, "Don't do that, bro."

On his podcast this week, George gave a more detailed answer about the lighthearted, but uncomfortable moment on set.

"I didn't like that moment," George said on the Podcast P show this week. "I rock with Stephen A., obviously, but let it go, you know what I mean? Just let it go. Like, Kawhi wants to play. I will keep beating that over the head until I'm out of breath. He wants to play. [Smith] keeps making it something that Kawhi doesn't want to play or he doesn't want to be there.

I think we rode Kawhi a lot this year to where it got to the point of like, 'Hey, there's only so much my body can take right now.' We exhausted a lot out of Kawhi this season and so I just think at some point your body breaks you down, and that's just I think the case there. I didn't appreciate that moment. I know I laughed because of the situation, it was lighthearted, but deep down it was just like, man, you've gotta let that go, Stephen A.."

Paul George on Stephen A. Smith’s Kawhi Leonard jab:

“I didn’t like that moment… Kawhi wants to play… We exhausted a lot out of Kawhi this season. So at some point your body breaks you down… I didn’t appreciate that moment. I know I laughed because the situation was… pic.twitter.com/JCJIUh4HT1

— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) June 19, 2024

While George came to the defense of his teammate, it's unclear just how much it will matter in the coming months. George is expected to decline his player option for next season and become a free agent if he does not strike a contract extension with the Clippers before free agency begins on June 30.