The Philadelphia 76ers will lose their All-Star forward Paul George for a long stretch of games.
On Saturday, the NBA announced that George has been suspended by the league without pay for 25 games. George violated the NBA's Anti-Drug Program, according to the official announcement. The suspension will begin on Saturday, when the Sixers take on the New Orleans Pelicans.
Following the official announcement, George released a statement via ESPN: “Over the past few years, I've discussed the importance of mental health, and in the course of recently seeking treatment for an issue of my own, I made the mistake of taking an improper medication. I take full responsibility for my actions and apologize to the Sixers organization, my teammates, and the Philly fans for my poor decision-making during this process. I am focused on using this time to make sure that my mind and body are in the best condition to help the team when I return."
George was in the midst of his second season with the Sixers. The veteran forward has appeared in 27 games so far. He was posting averages of 16.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game. George shot the ball at a 42 percent clip from the field and was knocking down 38 percent of his threes on 6.4 attempts per game.
Last season, his year ended after just 41 games. As George dealt with several injuries throughout the year, he was eventually shut down, entering an early offseason to recover. His first season with the Sixers wrapped up with averages of 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists.
While George got a late start to the season this year, missing the first 12 games after recovering from an offseason knee injury, he has been fortunate in the health department, missing just eight games since debuting on November 17. Unfortunately, George faces an automatic stretch of absences now.
With 25 games out of the question for George, he won't be able to return until late March. At that point, the Sixers will just have a few weeks’ worth of games left in the season before reaching the 2026 NBA Playoffs. Currently, they are in the postseason picture with a 26-21 record, which places them sixth in the Eastern Conference.
Newsweek