When Paul George started “Podcast P” in March, the expectation was that the show would have new episodes every Monday for the rest of the 2022-23 NBA season. The show, presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment, put George, an All-Star with the LA Clippers and a veteran of 13 NBA seasons, in a different setting than the typical postgame locker-room scrum.

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George’s co-hosts and best friends, Jackie Long and Dallas Rutherford, have fulfilled critical roles in balancing the show. Long, an actor and comedian, vacillates between comic relief and gentle-yet-direct wisdom. Rutherford, who played high school basketball with Jrue Holiday at Campbell Hall School in Los Angeles, often has acted as the facilitator of the podcast, helping the group get from section to section.

The show’s popularity has spiked with the help of several special guests. George and his crew have welcomed Karl-Anthony Towns, DeMar DeRozan, Jalen Green, A’ja Wilson, Jaren Jackson Jr., Jerry West, Julius Randle, Draymond Green and Tyrese Haliburton for various “Podcast P” episodes.

George, Long and Rutherford sat down exclusively with The Athletic in the middle of George’s first episode to feature Clippers teammates to discuss how far the podcast has come and what it means to them.

We heating up on Podcast P 🔥

Follow along for our Summer League drops!

— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) July 20, 2023

(Editor’s note: The following has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.)

First of all, congrats on the pod. We talked about how this started. I feel like it’s taken on a different life now. You continued it past the season, and Jackie, I definitely want to hear your perspective on this, too: It’s not your first pod. You guys have got something going. How would you quantify it now?

Paul George: I mean, it definitely grew life and grew legs from originally what we started. We didn’t know what to expect. We were just crossing into a new world. And purely just us coming up with the idea of doing this s— with our buddies, doing it with Dallas — we played the game, we talked mess. We talk life, basketball, we talk all the stuff that we’re doing now on camera. We do that on a downtime playing video games. So, I think as we’ve grown it with us three, and now we’re doing guests. It’s been fun having them join our world and our space and our creativity. I think the beauty of it is just having people who aren’t necessarily familiar with this setting be comfortable the second they come and sit down. And we get those stories that people haven’t heard of, those stories that people enjoy.

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Jackie Long: Being an actor and coming into this world of podcasting is really beyond different. Like P said, it’s something that we all definitely didn’t expect. This is something that none of us has been in. To start something like this and get the attention that we’ve been getting — that’s been buzzing so much because we’re doing stuff — that’s positive. Positive is always good.

At the end of the day, we do this for the kids. The kids watch us the most — not to say even adults — but the kids are the ones who we’re really trying to give a lesson to here because they are the future. We have all these people, from the guests that we had, and they come on here and feel so comfortable to give us their stories that let us know that we’re doing our job right. I was wanting to thank P, my boy, for even coming up with the idea and bringing me along. What we got is something really we didn’t expect. And, to be where we’re at now, we just want to continue to keep doing what we’re doing: continue to bless the viewers with the knowledge that we’re giving them, that we’re getting from other people.

Dallas, I watched every episode, and I know how y’all started, but I think the coolest thing is before y’all started having guests, y’all established how y’all were going to go. So, how did y’all feel that has worked out with having your own kind of show for a good two months before introducing and bringing people in as guests and everything?

Dallas Rutherford: I would just say it was more of an easy transition, at least for me, just because we kind of talked with each other pretty much every day on the game. … I think that’s more of just a reflection of how our friendship really is. So, adding someone else in — we all are kind to people, we treat people with respect — I think we all kind of have that same vibe. I don’t think it’s difficult for us to just add another personality into our little group for an hour or so. I think it’s just a testament to our friendship.

George: I’ll piggyback off that. Like, what (Dallas) said, it’s just great that we already have this chemistry established. I think the greatest thing people see when they watched the episodes is, like, “Wow, these guys really know each other. These guys are really homies.” A lot of the times, the guests, some of them have been guys or girls who Dallas or Jackie had not met or haven’t known much of. But the second they get on set with us, it’s like, “Oh, s—, y’all are regular, like one of us.” They feel like us already, like they’ve known us forever. I think it just comes off natural on camera. It’s not nothing that’s forced.

We’re not looking to get clickbait material. We just want people to be authentic to themselves and have a space to be authentic. I just want people to be able to tell their story from their viewpoint and not get the backlash because this person or this media is stirring it a certain way or this media has an agenda. They can come and say what they want to say and feel comfortable saying what they want to say and do it in a fun environment.

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Long: We want to be nosy.

George: We don’t want to be nosy!

Long: Just a little bit?

George: We don’t want to be nosy.

Long: OK, nah, we just want to get straight to the point! But these dudes right here, man, Paul George and Dallas Rutherford, these are two great friends I can go to war with. I mean, to start off something that we did, I know I can win anywhere I go with them. And literally, doing a podcast ain’t easy. It’s not easy. So, for the people enjoying us and watching, hopefully you say we’re entertaining y’all. Half the time, I’m like, “I don’t know what we’re doing.” I just know we’re talking. But that’s all we’re doing. So, obviously, we’re doing something right that people want to hear. I’m just glad that we’re doing what we’re doing. I thank these guys for being who they are and not being afraid to speak their mind or speak their hearts and give the knowledge that they got.

I gotta ask you guys to talk about P a little bit because as you go back to 2020, you were pretty open about what you were dealing with. The feedback to that was mixed. There were some people who had good intentions and supported you, and there were then some people who just wanted to clown. You guys are seeing this as people who are close to Paul. How have you guys felt about your role and how you support Paul, both as a friend but also as someone you’re hearing from every week. How have you all kind of felt about that?

Rutherford: Yeah, it’s definitely a little different because we’re friends first and foremost. Now that we’re working together in a sense, it is a little different, at least for me. But again, I think that is the reason why me and P are friends. I think we have a lot of similarities with how our parents raised us, you know what I mean? I think he doesn’t get as much credit, like, from my friends when they meet him. They’re like, “Oh, he’s a regular dude.” But I’m like, “Yeah, bro, he is a regular dude.” It’s been a little different, but growing up, being friends with him and having his stature, we are a reflection of him, you know what I mean? We kind of have to hold ourselves to a certain standard because, again, we’re a reflection of him. It’s been fun, and I hope it keeps going and just has a good time.

Long: P is P, man. P is a good dude. My family loves P. He’s a good father. He’s a good son. He’s a great husband. And, I mean, there’s nothing negative you can say about the guy. But if people ever do say negative, they’re the people who just don’t know him. We know him. … I know he’s gonna be there and have your back, and he’s going to give you his honest opinion — the same with Dallas. He’s raised beyond great, you know what I’m saying? So, it’s being around people who are so positive. You don’t see negative. I never see negative when I’m around positive people. I’ve been around the greatest of the greatest in the world and still being around greats in my life.

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What I’ve observed over the last few years is people have a lot of love for Paul George. Talking to guys like Jaden Ivey, Walker Kessler, KAT, guys have been like, “I like working out with Paul. Paul’s my friend. Paul’s been there for me.” You’ve got a guy like Brandon Miller who, multiple times, has explained, “Look, Paul’s my favorite player, and y’all got to understand that.” He’s not the only one. You’ve got your own AAU team. There’s a generation where you’re starting to get your flowers — and you’re still playing at a high level. What has that meant to you? 

George: Honestly, it’s humbling. But the person I have to take credit for my inspiration, the person who motivated me as a kid, that was Kobe (Bryant). I wanted to emulate him. I wanted to be that next version of him. When I got the opportunity to be where I’m at now, I wanted it to be like, “OK, he’s a product of Kobe Bryant.” Growing up in Southern California, growing up watching Kobe on an everyday basis, he was the one who influenced the game to me. And now, full-circle moment, having kids you meet in that same light as a player they look up to, they admire, they wanted to be like, it’s very humbling. I approached and I attacked the game the same way Kobe did, and that was just to try to get better, try to work on every deficiency of my game, try to play both ends, be a competitor. But with that, I was blessed to have the fluidity, the creativity, God-given talents to play on both ends and compete at the high level on both ends. So, it’s an honor for those kids to look up to me and have that.

I feel sorry for the kids that get that backlash. They’re getting discredited because of how they feel about me. I saw the backlash Brandon Miller got over the net. I saw the backlash Kiyan Anthony got, them picking me as their GOAT. You know, it sucks that they can feel like they can’t express themselves and be confident in what ultimately made them enjoy the game of basketball.

But it’s cool to have the next wave of talent be versions of myself and see them take the game further than I did, see them evolve their games. They’re starting off the next wave of young players. You look at Jayson Tatum. When I’m done, Jayson Tatum will be that next wing that plays both ends, plays at a high level. Kids will look at Jayson Tatum as the guy they can relate to and pattern their game after. It’s the circle of life and basketball. You know, everybody looks up to somebody; everybody has been inspired by somebody. You can see it in their games. For me, it’s how can I help those kids the same way Kobe did for me? How can I help those kids, elevate them to get to where they want to get to?

(Photo of Paul George, Kenyon Martin, KJ Martin, Dallas Rutherford and Jackie Long courtesy of Jazmyn Le)