Paul George had been hinting at a jersey number change for quite a while after kept tweeting #YoungTrece on Twitter several times. Now it is official: the Indiana Pacers star will be rocking No. 13 for whenever he returns to the court.
George posted this to Instagram following the announcement:
Here's more from ESPN's Darren Rovell:
George applied for and was granted the right to switch from No. 24 to No. 13, sources told ESPN.com.
Because George applied for the change before the March deadline, he doesn't have to pay for the remaining old No. 24s on the market. Sources, however, said he still elected to do so.
Per league rules, a player who changes jersey numbers on the same team must buy up all of the old jerseys on the market.
Grantland's Bill Simmons first pitched the idea for PG to change his jersey number to 13 back in May 2013, so people could call him "PG-13."
"By the way, I have some advice that will help Paul George become a household name," Simmons wrote. "He should change his number immediately from No. 24 to No. 13. Here's why ... can you think of anyone being helped by a nickname more than Paul George suddenly becoming PG-13? 'Uh-oh, PG-13 is heating up!' 'Warning, this game contains strong language, violence and a possible heat check!' 'We might have to make this performance rated R -- it's too hot to handle!' Let's make this happen already."
"That's got a ring to it, PG-13," George would say back in January about the name.
Now it's official. PG is now Young Trece.
