Unlucky? Paul George Changed Number To ’13,’ Breaks Leg
Paul George is a superstar. Coming off a break out season that saw him lead the Indiana Pacers to the best record in the eastern conference in the regular season, a season that also saw him throw down an in-game dunk that was better than most performed during the NBA All-Star Weekend, and ultimately, join Team USA with an all but guaranteed shot to play for his country at the upcoming FIBA World Cup tournament. George was poised to take his game and his product–himself–to the next level. I mean, watch this dunk:
Near the end of the 2013-14 season, word got out that Paul George was seeking to change his jersey number from 24 to 13. His people had already locked down Twitter feeds for PG-13 (get it?) and its variations. They even secured domain names, all to ensure that PG-13 would soon be so much more than a film rating that most people ignore.
According to ESPN, the announcement was to come in August. New Paul George number 13 jerseys would go on sale, and the marketing plan would begin. Then, on a Friday night in Las Vegas, playing a meaningless exhibition game against his Team USA teammates, the unthinkable happened. The superstar crashed to back down to earth in a bone-shattering, horrific way.
It would be easy to say that this is only a coincidence. That Paul George was a victim of suspect stanchion placements, or of trying too hard in an exhibition game, or even of low calcium, or bone density levels. But the number 13 is considered unlucky for a reason. For the superstitious set, it’s the most unluckiest of numbers. And Paul George knew that. According to the Indianapolis Star, he considered ’13’ when he came into the league, but went with 24 because of superstition. Two years ago he applied for the new number, but another player got it. The elusive number was always on his mind. It wasn’t until this past season that the opportunity came up once again, and the built-in marketing was already in place. As George said himself in regards to PG-13: the superstar-as-the-product:
“At that stage where I’m ready to embrace everything that comes with being one of the young stars in the league. The whole thing is being able to enjoy the show and being fun to watch.”
But for now, that “fun to watch show” will have to wait. But while Paul George rests and heals, PG-13 is alive and well. Usually as part of the deal for an NBA player to change numbers, that player has to buy a set amount of his old numbered product. But since he applied for the number change before March, George was absolved of that penalty. But it didn’t matter. George still bought 700 of his old jerseys and sent them to his old high school, Knight High School in Palmdale, California, free of charge. Here’s what that looked like, via a tweet from Lizette Rodriguez.
??4? @Paul_George24#KHSpic.twitter.com/FLkMVFg3zw
— Lizette Rodriguez (@Liz_vibes_) August 13, 2014
So, if Paul George is truly the victim of an unlucky number, he is well on his way to securing good karma to help balance it out. And hopefully, that good karma comes back to him in spades. Paul George is an NBA superstar and the entire league is a little dimmer without him. Get well soon, PG-13.
[Image by Sam Forencich/Getty Images]
