Philadelphia 76ers small forward Paul George says it felt great to play basketball again after being sidelined for several months with a knee injury.
George said this after playing 21 minutes in the Sixers’ 110-108 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in his first game of the 2025-2026 NBA regular season.
The game marked 35 year old George’s first bit of meaningful action since March 4 when he was shut down for the rest of the 2024-2025 campaign due to consistent knee issues before having surgery in July.
In 21 minutes, George registered nine points, seven rebounds and three assists in the win over George’s immediate former team, the Clippers.
“It felt great. It felt great to finally play basketball again. Been like eight months since I played, so it was a long journey.”

“A lot of ups and downs, a lot of hiccups…but felt good to finally get out there, and I felt good…Rusty, but I felt good” George said according to ESPN in a post-game interview.

George’s return is another great sign for the Sixers who are managing Joel Embiid’s return from injury. The Sixers have eight wins and five losses ahead of a November 20 clash against Toronto Raptors.