Paul George holds LeBron James responsible for his ringless NBA career

Despite a disappointing campaign last season, Paul George remains one of the NBA’s most notable players. A nine-time All-Star, he arguably played the best basketball of his career with the Indiana Pacers. However, the team never managed to win a championship — and now PG is blaming LeBron James for that.

“Other than winning a championship, and obviously wanting to win an MVP, I like where my career is going,” George said in a recent appearance on The Pivot Podcast. “I’ve had a great career, my story is still being written. I don’t have no regrets other than, you know, obviously playing for a championship. But other than that, I feel fine with where I’m at.”

When reflecting on that missing piece in his career, the forward shared a striking thought. “I’m thinking about it the other day, like had there not been a LeBron James, (expletive) I might have had one,” he said. “You know what I mean? Had we not played LeBron James or there was no LeBron James, we might have one in Indiana.”

George then listed the challenges the Pacers overcame during that era. “In the East, I felt like… you know, we played Carmelo (Anthony), got Carmelo out of there. Shout out to Melo,” PG said, referencing the New York Knicks. “Played a tough Wizards with John (Wall) and Bradley Beal. Nobody could come through us. Atlanta was a stacked team. Nobody could come through us. And that was that.”

LeBron was a tough rival for Paul George

The Indiana Pacers have reached the Eastern Conference Finals ten times in franchise history — twice during Paul George’s time with the team. In the early 2010s, they built a strong core under head coach Frank Vogel and emerged as serious contenders in the East.

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However, LeBron’s Heat proved to be an insurmountable obstacle. In 2012, Miami knocked out Indiana in the semifinals on their way to a championship. The following year, the teams met again in the Conference Finals with the same result — another title for the Heat. In 2014, the Pacers once again fell to James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh at the same stage, although that year the San Antonio Spurs went on to win the NBA title.

After that run, LeBron left Miami to return to Cleveland — but Paul George’s struggles against him didn’t end. In George’s final season with the Pacers (2016–17), Indiana made the playoffs once more, only to be swept by James and the Cavaliers.

Paul George was named NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2013

Paul George still hasn’t competed for a title

After his memorable stint with the Indiana Pacers, Paul George moved on to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but his time there didn’t go as planned. “I got to Oklahoma. I dealt with injuries, tried to play through those. It was just unfortunate I had these injuries,” he recalled, having been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in both seasons with the team.

Between 2019 and 2024, George played for the Los Angeles Clippers and came close to the NBA Finals in 2021, though he fell short in the Western Conference Finals against the Phoenix Suns. The following seasons in California were underwhelming, leading to his departure to the Philadelphia 76ers last summer. However, things didn’t improve there — he failed to even reach the playoffs, extending his streak of postseason disappointment.