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

NBA teams’ pitches to superstars they want to acquire can get lavish. When LeBron became a free agent in 2010, numerous teams assembled elaborate presentations to sway the generational talent to sign with them.

The same thing happened during Kevin Durant’s free agent decision in 2016, as he held court at the Hamptons, where he met teams and listened to their pitches. But sometimes, it only takes a simple conversation to convince a player that a certain team is the right fit for them.

For Paul George, that pivotal conversation came on the first few days of the league’s free agency period when he was considering his options. In an episode of his podcast, PG revealed that Julius Erving —popularly known as Dr. J—played a crucial role in convincing him to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers .

A Philly legend

With ample cap space and a vacancy at the wing, the Sixers knew who they wanted to recruit this summer: the nine-time All-Star George . The franchise pulled out all the stops to let the two-way star know how much they wanted him on the Sixers.

So much so that they brought Dr. J, a Hall of Famer and a 16-time All-Star, to help land PG-13. Given Erving's significant influence stemming from his remarkable achievements, PG was in awe of the chance to converse with him regarding his future.

“Dr. J had a dope intro and story. He talked about how he joined the team, and they ended up getting to the championship but lost. They got to the championship again and lost, then got there again and lost,” the six-time All-NBA team member shared .

“He was like, ‘We just can't get over the hump.’ Then they traded for Moses Malone, and they won it. He said Moses was the missing piece,” PG continued.

The four-time MVP arrived in Philadelphia in 1976 and helped the Sixers reach the NBA Finals in 1977, 1980, and 1982. However, Erving couldn’t get the team to the promised land. However, things changed in 1983 when the Sixers acquired talented big man Moses Malone from the Houston Rockets.

With the “Chairman of the Boards” dominating down low and Erving providing his usual scoring prowess, the Sixers finally broke through and won the NBA Championship in 1983 with a 4-0 sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Julius then looked PG-13 dead in the eye and said, “P, you're the missing piece.”

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Lots of work to be done

The Sixers may have the most potent “Big 3” in the league. However, NBA titles aren’t won on paper, and Paul recognizes that he, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey still have a lot of work to do to make their mark next season. He added that he had already spoken to his future teammates about what they could do on the floor.

“Tyrese, man, one of the most mature kids in the league, especially for his age. He was just like, ‘I learned so much when Big Fella went down. It was a ton of pressure on me, but I was able to see different defenses, kind of learn and grow,’” PG shared. “And I was like, ‘Man, whatever I can do to help you get even better, that's what I'm here for.’”

As for his talk with the 2023 MVP, PG said there wasn’t much to it other than how they could play off one another next season.

“Joel was simple: ‘I'mma space the floor for you, I'mma do this, that.’ There are so many ways we can play off one another. I've never played with someone so big and dominant like that,” the four-time All-Defense team member remarked.

Only time will tell if PG is indeed the Sixers’ missing piece of the championship puzzle. Given his injury history and recent playoff struggles, the team’s investment in him is a gamble. However, Paul remains optimistic and focused on proving his critics wrong.

Related: Paul George says he never wanted to leave the Clippers: "I thought I played well enough for them to be like, 'You know what? He's part of our future"