Paul George booed at Staples Center after spurning Lakers in free agency

LOS ANGELES -- A year ago, Paul George's visits to Staples Center were borderline recruiting trips, featuring plenty of cheers, signs and chants. But after George spurned the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency last summer, fans greeted him with hearty boos on Wednesday, including every time he touched the ball.

George got the last laugh, finishing with 37 points on 15-of-29 shooting in the Thunder's 107-100 win.

"I'm not the only SoCal kid from this area that didn't play here," George said when asked about the jeers Wednesday. "But I took it with respect. This is an unbelievable organization. [I have] the utmost respect for everybody in their [front] office, for this city. You know, I'm a SoCal native. It's always love here, regardless of the boos tonight. I mean, it is what it is. I came out here, I played my heart out, and I just have fun with it."

George, who grew up in nearby Palmdale, has been linked to the Lakers for a number of years, but he signed a long-term deal with the Thunder last summer without so much as giving the Lakers a meeting. Before being traded by the Indiana Pacers to OKC in 2017, George listed the Lakers as his preferred destination.

George said Wednesday morning he didn't know what to expect from Lakers fans.

"Not sure," he said. "I'm excited to see what it'll be. Regardless, I came here to win. That's the only thing I'm worried about."

After George picked up a third foul early in the first quarter, Lakers fans erupted in cheers and booed him as he went to the bench. The response was in stark contrast to last year, when Lakers fans chanted, "We want Paul!" for much of the second half of the game.

The Thunder stepped in and traded for George and spent the past season convincing him to stay. George told The Undefeated in October he wanted to play in Los Angeles but that the Lakers missed their chance after not trading for him.

"I wanted to play in L.A.," he said. "That is where I wanted to go. Had that trade never went down, had I played one more year in Indy, I would have been in a Lakers uniform."