Paul George Trade to Celtics Becomes Instant NBA Meme. Boston Fans Are Not Laughing.
The moment the Boston Celtics agreed to trade Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, the jokes started. They have not stopped.
Within an hour of the news breaking, every NBA account on X was posting the same meme. Paul George on the Celtics is the new Celtics Shaq. That was the joke. That has been the joke ever since.
For anyone who missed the reference, Shaquille O’Neal played the final season of his career in Boston in 2010-11. He was 39 years old and averaged 9.2 points across 37 games before quietly retiring. “Celtics Shaq” has been shorthand for a decade for a superstar acquired way past his prime. It is one of the enduring memes of NBA Twitter.
Now Paul George gets to be the sequel. Deadspin, NBA Memes, Sleeper, and about a hundred other big accounts posted the same beat within minutes of each other. “Celtics Shaq you can rest, Celtics Paul George is here.” It was ruthless. It was also, at least demographically, kind of fair.
George is 36. He just averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists a game for the 76ers. He played 41 games last season. He played 37 the year before. That is 78 total games across two full campaigns. His contract is one of the worst in basketball, owing him $54.1 million next year with a $56.6 million player option for 2027-28.
The Celtics did get real draft compensation in the deal. Two firsts and two seconds, including an unprotected 2031 Philly first that could turn into something meaningful. That is not nothing. It is also not what you get for a 29-year-old All-NBA wing with a Finals MVP.
Boston fans have not really tried to defend the trade. Some have argued Brown’s trade value was in decline. Others have pointed to Brad Stevens’s track record and asked for patience. But the dominant reaction has been resignation. The team just replaced its 29-year-old star scorer with a 36-year-old wing who might not be able to play 60 games.
The George-in-Boston era starts now. If he stays healthy and shoots 40 percent from three, he can still help a Jayson Tatum team. If he can’t stay on the floor, the Celtics have just committed the most valuable pick package in the East to a rental that never really rented.
The meme is going to stick either way. Celtics Paul George is a thing. There is no unringing that bell.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
