Over the past decade, many young NBA fans have grown fond of Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George.

While the former Fresno State standout didn’t immediately enter superstar status in the NBA during his rookie campaign with the Indiana Pacers, he progressed as a scorer each season. By year four, George was averaging 22 points per game on 36 percent shooting from deep. He also accounted for seven rebounds per game while dishing out four assists.

Since then, a healthy Paul George has become one of the NBA’s top-tier wings. And to the younger generation, George is a fan-favorite, which has created plenty of critics to challenge the notion that George is one of the best players of his era.

Recently, the veteran wing issued a reaction to those critics on 7 PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony, presented by Wave Sports.

“For [critics] to attack somebody else or the younger generation like, ‘Why is he your GOAT?’ it’s like how do you attack a kid?” George said. “That’s who he enjoys watching. For me, it’s like people in the comments like, ‘Man he ain’t like that, he ain’t even close to the GOAT conversation, you ain’t win a ring, you ain’t an MVP.’ It’s so much [expletive], I’m like, damn! I’m doing something good at the end of the day, inspiring the next generation, and you’re here knocking it down.”

George concluded his run with the Pacers in 2017. After he spent two seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the veteran formed a star duo with Kawhi Leonard on the Los Angeles Clippers. Perhaps, the circumstances out in LA made it tougher for George to turn his biggest critics into supporters.

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With championship expectations placed on George and Leonard, the two ultimately came up short. With five seasons in the bag, the Clippers don’t have any NBA championships to show for. Still, George was a hot commodity on the free agency market this offseason as he declined his option with the Clippers.

The Sixers didn’t let the narrative of George’s playoff struggles cloud their judgment. From the start of the offseason, they were viewed as top suitors in George’s market. On day two of free agency, they landed the star wing with a multi-year contract.

George isn’t finished building his legacy and has a lot of work to do on the Sixers. However, the nine-time All-Star seems more than confident in the fact he’s earned fan-favorite status to many spectators in the younger crowd. With the Sixers, George hopes to add new accolades to his resume.

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