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Paul George says ‘it sucks’ Pacers don’t honor his achievements. Team plans to fix that.

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Paul George says ‘it sucks’ Pacers don’t honor his achievements. Team plans to fix that.


INDIANAPOLIS — After seeing published comments from Paul George lamenting the fact he hasn’t been extensively honored for his contributions to the Indiana Pacers when he’s returned to Gainbridge Fieldhouse with other teams, the Pacers’ front office intends to reach out to George and will look to honor his accomplishments in future returns, a league source told IndyStar.

George most recently returned to Indianapolis with the 76ers on Jan. 18 but did not play in the game due to injury and his presence wasn’t acknowledged either via the public address system or the video boards at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Ky Carlin, a reporter for Sixers Wire on the USA Today Network, asked George about that and the nine-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA pick acknowledged it is a bit of a sore spot for him even though he’s on this third team since he was traded to the Thunder in July of 2017. Carlin also noted George is not featured in the pre-game historical video that includes clips of the Pacers through the decades, but no active players are featured in that video.

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“We were joking with the guys, and they were like, you know, ‘Do you still get a tribute video when you go to Indiana?’” George told Carlin. “I was like ‘I’ve never gotten a tribute video since I’ve been going back to Indiana,’ and that was eight years ago. It does, you know, it sucks. I think the way things played out still holds a grudge to them and they don’t realize the great runs we had in the time I was there.”

George was taken by the Pacers out of Fresno State with the No. 10 pick in the 2010 draft and he played his first seven seasons with the franchise, earning four All-Star selections and three third-team All-NBA nods in that span. He’s one of just six Pacers players ever to be named to an All-NBA team and one of just three to be named three times — the others being Jermaine O’Neal and Reggie Miller.

George helped lead the Pacers to the playoffs in six of his seven seasons including back-to-back trips to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2013 and 2014 where they lost in seven and six games respectively to LeBron James’ Miami Heat. The Pacers had missed the playoffs in each of the four seasons before his arrival.

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“I came into that situation where Indiana was struggling,” George told Carlin. “They just got over the ‘Malice at the Palace’. … There were some dark clouds covering that Pacers team, and, you know, they weren’t, you know, a force in the East. Obviously, they had good talent with Danny Granger there, but I thought I was a part of that resurgence.”

George, however, requested a trade in June of 2017 when he was heading into the final year of a four-year contract, saying he would not sign an extension and would leave in free agency the following summer if he was not traded. Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard at the time called the request “a gut punch.”

When the league calendar flipped over, Pritchard and the Pacers traded George to the Thunder for center Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo. That deal has worked out well for the Pacers as Sabonis and Oladipo both earned All-Star nods with the Pacers. They eventually traded Sabonis to the Kings in the deal that brought All-Star Tyrese Haliburton to the Pacers and they sent Oladipo to the Rockets in a four-team deal that brought them Caris LeVert, who they eventually traded to the Cavaliers for the draft picks they used to take guards Andrew Nembhard and Ben Sheppard.

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Since the deal, George played two seasons for the Thunder and five seasons for the Clippers before joining the 76ers this summer. He’s earned five more All-Star trips, three more All-NBA nods and made more than $300 million on his past two contracts before signing a four-year deal worth approximately $211 million with the 76ers this offseason.

George was acknowledged when he returned to Gainbridge Fieldhouse with the Thunder for the first time, but it was brief. Not every player who returns to his old team is greeted by bells and whistles, but some particularly accomplished players are often greeted with extensive tributes. The Raptors showed an extensive tribute video on their videoboards when Pascal Siakam returned to Toronto for the first time after he was acquired by the Pacers last January.

George might see something closer to that the next time he returns to Gainbridge Fieldhouse, but the 76ers do not return to Indianapolis this season.



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Highlights of what President Trump said about Indiana football during White House visit

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Highlights of what President Trump said about Indiana football during White House visit


WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump spoke at length about Indiana football’s perfect season Monday afternoon during a ceremony on the South Lawn at the White House honoring the team. 

“This was a year that will live forever in the hearts of Indiana football fans,” Trump said. “There’s no story like this.” 

Trump relived that journey, offering his own commentary on IU’s 16-0 season. Here’s a look at the standout moments from the President’s speech: 

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Trump compares Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti to Muhammad Ali

The President referenced Cignetti’s famed “Google Me” press conference as he traced IU’s path to the national title. While Trump said he normally hates guys with “cocky” attitudes, he couldn’t help but admire Cignetti’s style. Trump compared it to the way Muhammad Ali backed up his tough talk. 

“Just two years later, he brought home the national championship,” Trump said. “When you do that stuff, you have to be able to produce when you act that way.”

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Trump laughs off Indiana football’s notable absences

Trump didn’t expect quite so many former Indiana football players to be busy with OTA’s in the NFL. While Fernando Mendoza’s absence made headlines last week, Trump was surprised to find out that key starters like Pat Coogan and D’Angelo Ponds weren’t in attendance either. The President sought to highlight their contributions during his remarks. 

“We’ve got 15 of them in (NFL) training camp right now,” Cignetti told Trump. 

“Oh, I can’t believe it,” the President said. “No wonder you won.”

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According to Trump, Mendoza called the President last week to tell him he wouldn’t be able to attend the event. There were a handful of former IU players on the trip who graduated, but none of the ones who were drafted or signed to NFL teams. 

Trump impressed with IU’s blowout win over Alabama in Rose Bowl: ‘You’ve got to be kidding’

Trump has maintained close ties with former Alabama coach Nick Saban, Cignetti’s one-time mentor. It might help explain why the President was so impressed by the lopsided final score of IU’s 38-3 victory over Alabama in the Rose Bowl. 

“Coach, you’ve got to be kidding,” Trump said after reading the final score. “That’s right, over Alabama. That’s a big one.”

Cignetti, who won a title as an assistant at Alabama for Saban, even poked fun at his former school as Trump spoke about the game.

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“Roll tide,” Cignetti shouted. 

Trump spotlights Indiana football’s gutsy QB draw in CFP title game 

Former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s diving touchdown against the Hurricanes made quite the impression on Trump, who attended the CFP championship game at Hard Rock Stadium. The President raved about the play call on Monday afternoon with Cignetti by his side. 

Facing a fourth-and-four from Miami’s 12-yard line, Cignetti called a QB draw with his team holding onto a slim lead in the final 10 minutes. Mendoza scored by breaking a series of tackles and making a Superman-esque dive across the goal line. 

“No coach in America would have done what this guy did,” Trump said of Cignetti. “They said, this guy is making such a mistake, and he won. That was a hell of a play. That’s the kind of play if they don’t do that play, if it doesn’t work, that’s like career-threatening, right?”

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Trump circled back to the thought before talking about Jamari Sharpe’s interception.

“He kept doing all this stuff,” Trump said. “The things that weren’t supposed to happen. You’re just lucky you won that game because if you didn’t, they would have said, this coach is crazy.”

Trump celebrates Indiana football’s ‘legendary story’

Trump frequently veered away from his prepared remarks to offer up asides on Indiana’s rags to riches story. Cignetti orchestrated a turnaround in just two seasons in Bloomington at a school with very little tradition in the sport. 

“What you did is something that I don’t think anybody’s ever really done in college football history,” Trump said. 

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Trump, like many fans, was impressed with the way IU dispatched the sport’s blue bloods — mostly in lopsided fashion — on their journey to winning the CFP title. 

“You went through a lot of great teams,” Trump said. “And real football powerhouses over the years. That’s pretty intimidating. Amazing. Top tens. This team lifted the Indiana football program from a historic low.”

For Trump, it’s what made Indiana’s 16-0 season distinct from other championship teams that have visited the White House. 

“The story of Indiana University is really a legendary story,” Trump said.  

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.

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Fernando Mendoza, citing Raiders obligations, misses Indiana’s White House visit

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Fernando Mendoza, citing Raiders obligations, misses Indiana’s White House visit


Fernando Mendoza did not attend Indiana University’s visit to the White House commemorating the Hoosiers’ college football national championship on Monday. The Las Vegas Raiders quarterback said earlier this month that he would not attend if it interfered with any activities with his new team.

“I’m on the bottom of the totem pole here,” Mendoza said following a rookie minicamp practice. “I got to prove myself. I can’t miss practice. I don’t know anything official. I don’t have the calendar, but I just wouldn’t. As a rookie, I don’t think that’s a good look, and I want to try to best serve my teammates. And I don’t know if that’d be accomplishing that goal.”

According to the team’s official offseason schedule, the Raiders did not have any formal practices or workouts on Monday. The team’s next organized activity is May 18, its first OTA workout.

“Fernando couldn’t be here today because, as I said, he’s now a member of the Las Vegas Raiders,” President Donald Trump said in his address. “Let’s see how good of a team they have, and I think he’s gonna do great. He’s a winner.”

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Mendoza wasn’t the only absence. Center Pat Coogan and cornerback D’Angelo Ponds were among the other Hoosiers not in attendance for the event due to NFL obligations. Indiana had a program-record eight players selected in April’s NFL Draft.

Trump highlighted Mendoza’s accomplishments and contributions to the school’s first football national title. He celebrated Mendoza as Indiana’s inaugural Heisman Trophy winner and praised his fourth-quarter touchdown run in the championship game against Miami.

“He’s gonna be a good one,” Trump said.

Indiana was well-represented by returning members of the team. Charlie Becker, one of Mendoza’s go-to receivers during the College Football Playoffs, and Jamari Sharpe, whose late interception secured the title-game victory, both spoke on behalf of the school, as did head coach Curt Cignetti.

Mendoza is one of four members of the national champion Hoosiers who joined the Raiders this offseason. Running back Roman Hemby and wide receiver E.J. Williams Jr. signed as undrafted free agents in the days following the draft. Wide receiver Jonathan Brady earned a contract after impressing as a tryout player during rookie minicamp.

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Suspect in custody after Muncie triple shooting leaves 1 woman dead, 2 men injured

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Suspect in custody after Muncie triple shooting leaves 1 woman dead, 2 men injured


MUNCIE, Ind. (WISH) — Police are investigating a triple shooting that took place on Muncie’s south side Sunday evening that left a woman dead and two men injured.

According to police, at approximately 5:27 p.m., Muncie Police Officers were dispatched to the 2700 block of South Walnut Street in reference to reports of several people being shot.

Officers arrived and located three gunshot victims: A 23-year-old female who died from “multiple wounds,” a 39-year-old male who is hospitalized in stable condition, and a 40-year-old male who was airlifted to an Indianapolis hospital in critical condition.

Police say a suspect is in custody, a 21-year-old man.

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Police did not provide any additional information.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Muncie Police Detective Division at 765-747-4867 or dispatch at 765-747-4838.



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