George: Teaming up with Embiid felt 'inevitable'

New Philadelphia 76ers wing Paul George knew that he might play with Joel Embiid one day.

George complimented his new teammate at his introductory press conference Tuesday after signing a reported four-year, $212-million deal to join the Sixers from the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency.

"I thought everything aligned perfectly. ... I think we got a real legitimate shot (of winning a title)," George said. "I've always been a fan of Tyrese (Maxey) and Joel from afar, and Joel has secretly been one of my closest All-Star Game friends. It kinda felt inevitable that we would link up and be teammates. I'm all-in."

George said that before the offseason, Embiid said he wanted them to have a close relationship even if they remained on different teams, according to Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice.

"For him to open up to me, it felt right," George said.

George leaves the Clippers after five seasons. He joined the franchise to team up with Kawhi Leonard, and the duo won three playoff series between 2019-24. The team lost in the first round in the last two seasons.

The 34-year-old forward described part of his Clippers experience on his podcast, saying that he felt like he was playing for the "B-team" in L.A. compared to the Lakers.

Now George teams up with Embiid and Maxey to create a formidable Big Three in the Eastern Conference. The franchise retained key pieces in Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Kyle Lowry while also adding veterans Andre Drummond, Caleb Martin, Eric Gordon, and Reggie Jackson in free agency.

"No better place to do it, to win in, than Philadelphia to me," George said. "With the fan base, just the passion that goes into sports here in Philadelphia, there's really no other place I wanted to align with and win in."