Indiana Pacers star Paul George is admitting photos of him recently published on a website are authentic. The pics, posted by a man claiming the All-Star forward sent them to him believing he was a woman, are part of a fake story planted by a scorned ex-girlfriend to disparage him.
For the first time since the story broke over the weekend, George spoke to the Indianapolis Star about the matter on Monday.
"The whole story, as far as me being catfished, I know the girl that sent the pictures out," George told the newspaper following the team's shootaround on Monday. "It wasn't a catfish story, it was a girl - I don't want to get into the story but I know who's behind it."
The term "catfish" is now common among many as similar to the situation former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Teʻo went through where he had an online relationship with someone he believed to be female, but also turned out to be a male.
Some Pacers' fans are worried the whole episode has started to rattle George, who after an MVP-like start to early half of the season has dramatically cooled off and continued a shooting slump on Saturday night that saw him convert just 2-of-10 attempts.
"I'm good. A lot of it is just stuff trying to bring me down," George told The Star."I'm good with it. The thing that just came out, it's all a fake. It really don't have any wear on me because I know it's not true."
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Earlier this season, George also had to deal with a story that claimed he had impregnated a Miami-based exotic dancer and offered her $1 million for an abortion.
The Pacers star now readily admits he's come to realize it's all part of his rising celebrity. "I think so," he told The Star. "I hate to even look at it that way. It doesn't make sense but I guess it is a fact. People want a piece of whatever I have or - I don't know what it is."
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