Over their careers, there has been noticeable on-court friction between Kelly Oubre and his new teammate in Philadelphia, Paul George. The two fierce competitors have been rather physical, unafraid of contact as they face each other.
Fans and media across the league have perceived this friction as some type of resentment or beef between the two wings. As he addressed the media Tuesday morning, Kelly Oubre squashed rumors of a potential beef and spoke glowingly of George, often referencing how excited he was to play alongside his former rival, now teammate:
“Obviously, everybody wants to talk about a beef or whatever. There’s never been a beef; there’s just been two competitors [who] respect each other on the court, and we just try to go at it really hard. SO now that we’re on the same team, we can do that to other people. So I’m excited.”
Oubre’s excitement was evident. In fact, based on what he had to say, specifically the number of times he voiced his excitement, there may be no one who is more thrilled to have George in Philly:
“I’m really excited. I’ve always studied his game. I’ve always been a fan from afar and to be able to get bits and pieces and nuggets from him, learn his game a little bit, and inspire him. I think we kind of offered different things, but we both can feed and learn off of each other, but I’m really excited. to learn from him to help him do his thing with the rest of his career that he has left. I’m really excited.”
Despite Oubre’s resounding sentiment, this likely won’t be the last time the alleged “beef” between he and Paul George is brought up this season. Regardless of whatever Internet rumors may come, Oubre has officially gone on the record, and now the two can focus on helping to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to their first championship since 1983.
