Paul George 'totally fine' being Clippers' No. 2 behind Kawhi Leonard

LOS ANGELES — Paul George set aside any ego and made it clear that Kawhi Leonard is the LA Clippers' No. 1 option and that he is the second star in the All-Star duo's pecking order.

As they enter their fourth season together with championship expectations, George was asked if there are any past championship wing tandems that he and Leonard can use as a potential blueprint.

«Yeah, look at the [Miami Heat] wing-wing DWade [Dwyane Wade] and LeBron ]James],» George said Sunday following the Clippers' 119-117 preseason loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. «I think it just comes down to — listen, Kawhi is the No. 1. And I am totally fine with that. I think I try to complement him with being able to take the load off of him.

»Everybody says, 'Kawhi [and] you are 1 and 1, [or] 1A, 1B.' I'll publicly say, I'm the 2. Kawhi's the 1, I'm the 2. So that part we nipped in the bud. Like there's no ego when it comes to that."

This is a pivotal season for Leonard and George, who are looking to make their first trip to the NBA Finals together since teaming up on the Clippers in the summer of 2019.

Leonard, describing how he and George have grown together as leaders and their dynamic as a duo, pointed to their «genuine relationship.»

«We're both unselfish,» said Leonard. «My 12th year, his 13th year… we've been through this before, so I feel like just having those years under our belt and obviously, like I said, we have a genuine relationship and it just carries over [into how we lead].»

The Clippers' season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 20 will be the duo's first meaningful game together since Leonard tore his right ACL in Game 4 of Los Angeles' second-round playoff series against Utah on June 14, 2021.