Newly signed Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George has hosted a podcast for a while now, but even he knows covering the NBA Finals on TV is a different ball game altogether.
In a recent interview with Charles Barkley, a longtime member of TNT’s Inside the NBA, George admits talking about the NBA on television gives a completely different feeling. His response came after Sir Charles made a comment about former NBA players coming on their show and acting stiff and embarrassed like they’d never appeared on TV before.
“I love getting brothers on television. Love it. It’s not many jobs you can do when you retire,” Barkley said during his appearance. “If you get lucky with one of these TV jobs, you’re set up for life. So we bring in dudes all the time, and we sit there like, ‘What the f**k?’ Dude, you’re so funny, you’re cool to be around. Why are you nervous on television?”
In response, George said, “I did Game 3 and Game 4 of the Finals. I thought I was comfortable doing Podcast P and I’m comfortable in front of the camera talking and all that s**t, right. Then I get on, Game 3, Game 4. Similar to what you’re talking about, I’m like, ‘Man, this s**t is different.’”
Podcast P is presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment.
76ers’ Paul George on the NBA Finals
“You don’t talk any different when you’re on television,” Charles Barkley continued. “All you gotta do is relax and act like you’re sitting around with your boys. That’s all you gotta do. Just talk basketball. So, it was a quick adjustment. They’re like, ‘Yo, man, we didn’t bring you on here to X and O people to death. Have a conversation about basketball.’ And I’m like, ‘OK, I’m good now.’”
George also shared valuable advice he received on covering games. “The second game I did, Kendrick Perkins was sitting to my left. And that was the best advice he gave me. He was like, ‘Man, you’re not a sports analyst. You played the game. They wanna hear your own perspective from a basketball player.’ And so, when he told me that, I had a way better experience than I did that first game. So that went a long ways.”
“‘Cause I was like, I’m watching the game, I’m jotting stats down, I’m doing the whole analytics,” the new 76ers star added. “I’m messing up because I wanted to do that part so well. But when he told me, ‘Man, just speak basketball,’ that sh**t went a long ways for me.”
After Paul George signed with the 76ers during free agency, the nine-time All-Star looks to add his two-way versatility to the new Big Three with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. Will a fresh start on a new team in a new conference help George make his first Finals appearance as a player?
