With spotlight on Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, Paul George found plenty of reasons to enjoy his return to Philadelphia. The Boston Celtics forward delivered one of his best performances of the season, leading his new team to a convincing victory over his former franchise. However, his night also featured an unexpected exchange with a courtside spectator that quickly became a talking point.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
The incident happened during the fourth quarter of Boston’s 123-101 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. After making a three-pointer, the nine-time All-Star appeared to direct his middle finger toward a fan sitting courtside. The gesture immediately caught the attention of viewers, as reporter Noa Dalzell’s footage gained over 900k views. She later asked PG13 his version of the story.
“There was a fan being an a–hole, ball rolled to him. He looked me dead in my eyes, dropped the ball on the ground as if I’m a dog to go fetch or go get it, instead of passing the ball to me like a normal fan would do. And so, yeah, so then I rolled him a middle finger in return.”
Speaking after the final buzzer, Paul George clarified to Dalzell that his response came after provocation. The spectator apparently had deliberately made things difficult. The Celtics star took the gesture as a deliberate attempt to disrespect him and decided to respond. Importantly, there was also a basketball consequence to the exchange.
Paul George entered the final period with 22 points before producing another scoring burst. He added 14 in the fourth quarter, helping Boston pull away and finish the night with a 123-101 victory. His final numbers were equally impressive on his return to the Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The 36-year-old dropped 36 points on 14-of-22 shooting, including six three-pointers, along with five rebounds. He also finished with a plus-17 rating in just 30 minutes. The new Celtics star’s impact has extended beyond his scoring totals. His ability to keep Boston’s offense moving when Jayson Tatum takes a breather has become particularly valuable. PG 13 had already demonstrated that ability on Sunday, scoring 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the second quarter.
He followed that up with another productive stretch against Philadelphia, recording 13 points in the same period. That helped Beantown establish a 62-51 lead at the halfway mark.
In fact, Boston had entered the fourth quarter with a nine-point advantage, but the visitors quickly turned the contest into a one-sided affair. Payton Pritchard helped initiate the decisive run with consecutive three-pointers before Paul George took over. His scoring helped Boston establish a commanding cushion that his former team never seriously threatened.
So it marked a successful return for PG13. But his explanation of waiving his finger at the fan does not necessarily protect him from disciplinary action.
The league has rules, which have led to several players being previously penalized for directing obscene gestures and inappropriate language toward spectators. Anthony Edwards was one of those players.
During Minnesota’s 2025 playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers, Edwards exchanged words with a heckling spectator and made an obscene gesture. The incident attracted considerable attention after footage circulated online. The league subsequently announced a $50,000 fine for directing inappropriate language and making an obscene gesture toward a fan. However, there has been no confirmed announcement of a fine against Paul George for Tuesday’s incident.
Also, this is not the first time the veteran forward has found himself involved in an uncomfortable situation with a spectator.
Back in November 2016, while playing for the Indiana Pacers, he lost his composure following a foul call against Jimmy Butler during a matchup with the Chicago Bulls. Frustrated with the whistle, Paul George kicked the basketball toward the basket stanchion. However, the ball went into the stands and struck a female spectator in the face. Officials ejected him from the contest, but PG 13 immediately went over to check on the woman and apologize.
He later sent her flowers as another gesture of apology. The NBA also handed him a $15,000 fine for the incident. In comparison, his actions on Tuesday were limited to a gesture. And as per Paul George, it only transpired after alleged disrespect from the spectator.