Remember the coming together between a rookie Kelly Oubre Jr. and Paul George in 2018? Or that steal from PG after Oubre’s turnover, followed by an authoritative dunk from the Clippers forward? And of course, there was a taunt to match that. The two even had a spicy feud last year during the Clippers vs Sixers game which ended in complete chaos that led to fines for both Oubre and Nick Nurse. But was there ever a real beef between the Sixer and PG? The clarification on this was again given by Oubre who was the guest in the latest episode of Podcast P With Paul George.

Clearing the smoke, Oubre stated, “It was never no beef. It was just a young guy looking up to him wanting to make a name for himself in the league.” The swingman further added, “He always would try to sauce me up for real, as he should, right? As the competitor in me, I probably did a little extra.”

Oubre then brought an infamous instance from last season and said, “Like the one move he did when he was skipping like Muhammad Ali, I didn’t move like, I should have got out the way. My shoulder was like, ahh I can’t let you move either. So there was never no beef, man. It was just all respect.”

The 28-year-old blamed it on the media for twisting and distorting facts. Rather Oubre highlighted his blessed circumstances to be able to play in the same generation as George. The veteran’s inclusion in the Sixers’ roster just enhanced. To kill the noises created by media, Oubre suggested that they should click a picture together post-trade. And soon, the rumors were “dead.” Now that the duo are teammates in Philly, it was all love between Oubre and George.

Paul George gets honest about Kelly Oubre Jr. relationship

Once Kelly Oubre Jr. confessed that he and Paul George are currently in the same spot, PG-8 (now that he’ll be wearing 8 in Philly) confirmed “it was immediate love” following the photograph idea. “We randomly was in the same gym, and, it was just like you know what I mean? Like, we’ve been homies. Like, I didn’t even think about none of the past games or the moments. I always knew, like, that s**t is just basketball at the end of the day,” the 34-year-old said.

George highlighted their competitive nature and admitted when two competitive individuals face off they end up clashing and that’s exactly what happened in their case. Giving a glimpse of their connection, George added, “We showed up in the gym. He was working down on one end. It was like, oh, what’s up, bro? Like, man, it feel good being on the same side. Facts. We flicked it up.”

The 9-time All-Star revealed that now they are on the same page they will try to do something special in the upcoming time together. The Sixers fans will hope their off-court bond translates onto the court as well as the Championship pressure is higher than ever.