Paul George on playing for the Clippers: "I'm on the 'B Team,' that's how the vibe and the love felt"

When Paul George decided to 'come home' in 2019, many were shocked that he chose the L.A. Clippers over the Lakers. During that span, he and Kawhi Leonard took the franchise to four postseason appearances, including their first trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2021.

He also helped the franchise win their first Pacific Division since 2013-14 last season. Still, despite all the success that he accomplished there, George admitted that he always felt he wasn't on L.A.'s premier team.

"I think initially, coming back to LA, that was home," said George on Podcast P. "But it's not the same love. Because when I was in LA, they said, 'You should've been a Laker.' That's all I was hearing… I'm on the B Team. That's how the vibe and the love felt."

Second Class Citizens

Since they moved from San Diego to Los Angeles in 1984, the Lakers have always been considered 'the other' team in La La Land. Not only were the Lakers the first team in Tinseltown, but they were also the most successful.

During that 80s decade, the Showtime Lakers won five NBA championships to cement their status as the city's top basketball attraction. They won another three with Kobe and Shaq and two more with Bryant and Pau.

It didn't help that the Clippers were quite dysfunctional during the Donald Sterling era. From 1985 to 2005, they made only three playoff appearances and won only four playoff games. They found some success when Lob City arrived, but even then, they were treated like second-class citizens in Los Angeles.

What made it worse for them is that they have shared the same home court as the Lakers since 1999. During games between the cross-town rivals, the Lakers' fans would dominate the audience even if the court was painted with Clippers colors.

Ballmer buys the Clippers

The Clippers' fortunes changed in 2014 when former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer purchased the team. Under Ballmer's ownership, the franchise became a perennial playoff team during the Lob City era.

In 2019, Ballmer invested in bringing George and Kawhi Leonard to the Clippers. Last season, he also added James Harden. On the side, he constructed the team's new home, the $2 billion Intuit Dome, which will debut during the next NBA season.

Despite Ballmer making all the 'big balls' moves, the team has not gotten over its second-class citizen tag. In a recent episode of his podcast, ex-Clippers star PG called it a B Team, which only adds insult to injury, although I'm sure he didn't mean it that way.

Related: “P, you the missing piece” – Paul George reveals what Dr. J told him to convince him to sign with the 76ers