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Playing with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey may have been a major selling point to get Paul George to sign in Philadelphia, but it turns out words by Lil Dicky were the ones that put the deal over the edge.
George revealed the rapper’s comments on saving money helped sway his decision to make the move from Los Angeles to Philadelphia.
“It sold me. … What hit me was the saving money. It impacted me. It had a little touch on me,” George said on his podcast (9:05 mark).
In a video prepared by the Sixers for their pitch to George, Lil Dicky explained what his $3 million house in Los Angeles looks like compared to what he could buy in the Philadelphia area. A native of the Philadelphia area, Lil Dicky said his career as a rapper and actor forces him to stay in Los Angeles while George could get more “bang for his buck” taking the max contract with the Sixers.
“You had an influence. That’s a badge of honor right there,” George said.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the Sixers offered more bucks in general. George signed a four-year, $211.6 million contract with the Sixers. By contrast, the Clippers weren’t even willing to offer George the same three-year, $149.7 million deal they gave Kawhi Leonard in January.
George has said he never wanted to leave Los Angeles, his hometown, but the Clippers refused to offer respect in the form of a long-term commitment. The Sixers were, and they had Lil Dicky in their corner, which apparently didn’t hurt.