It's the peak of the NBA offseason, where on-court beefs are taken to online platforms.
Such was the case between Clippers star Paul George and Suns star Devin Booker after Booker clapped back at one of George's questions to Warriors guard Klay Thompson on the "Podcast P with Paul George" show.
George asked Thompson about a moment from this past season where Thompson held up four fingers for each of his rings in an on-court dispute with Booker. Thompson admitted that he wasn't proud of it, giving George the truth of the matter.
"Yeah, I was in my feelings, though," Thompson began. "Book was busting my a— that day. I was not where I needed to be. God [he sighs]. That didn't age well. I don't need to be flexing four rings, bro. Like, everybody know that. That's on Wikipedia," he said.
Thompson went on to give a wholehearted response, praising Booker for making it through Phoenix's rebuild as the franchise player.
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When the clip began to circulate on social media, Booker saluted Thompson's response in an Instagram comment but, apparently, didn't like the way George prodded the answer.
"Is that the answer u was lookin for?" Booker commented as he tagged George.
Later that day, when George was streaming Call of Duty on Twitch, he had words for Booker's comment.
"That's Klay's answer. I asked a question, Klay gave his response. I don't know what that was supposed to mean. Sorry a— response," George said.
Booker hasn't responded to George's comment yet, but in search of where this beef began, The Arizona Republic's Duane Rankin may have pinpointed the moment.
The origin of Devin Booker vs. Paul George beef
On Jan. 3, 2021, George and Booker got into a face-to-face barking match after Booker's teammate, Cameron Payne, landed on George after trying to block his shot.
Booker came to his teammates' defense, calling George soft. George responded by telling Booker to watch his mouth as the two continued to jaw at each other even as they were separated.
The two stars have seen each other in the playoffs twice since. The Suns defeated the Clippers in the Western Conference Finals in 2021 when Kawhi Leonard was out due to injury. Phoenix got the best of LA again in the first round of the NBA Playoffs this past season, but both George and Leonard were out this time.
One of the most memorable plays of Booker's career also came against George. In 2020, Booker capped off a 35-point night with a game-winning jump shot over George and Leonard.
We'll have to wait until their first matchup of the 2023-24 season to see if there are still some fireworks between Booker and George.
