When the season got underway Paul George of the Pacers was the NBA's prince, the leader of the team that would finally dethrone "King" LeBron James in the Eastern Conference. While Indy remains atop the East standings, they've been slipping of late and George has landed back in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

Paul George NSFW selfies hit the internet--click here

This winter George was embroiled in a scandal that involved rumors of a $1 million offer to a Miami stripper to abort a child he is said to have fathered. Now, he was apparently "catfished" by a gay man who posted NSFW photos of George online.

George addressed the rumors about the stripper personally, and has stepped up to the plate once again to deny that he was duped. "The whole story, as far as me being "Catfished," I know the girl that sent the pictures out," George said. "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."

Paul George offers stripper baby mama $1M for abortion?

George also said the rumors are not affecting his play because they aren't true. "I'm good. A lot of it is just stuff trying to bring me down," George said. "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."

George's play has dipped significantly since the peak of his MVP contention, however. This month his 3-point shooting has fallen below 30 percent, down from a high of 40.3 percent in November. His scoring is down, and so is his field goal percentage which is under 40 percent for the first time this season in March.

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Veteran teammate David West has spoken up about George's troubles, expressing confidence he'll survive these problems, but indicated it's time to be an adult.

"Guys have to be able to keep their personal life that - as personal. A lot of that comes with just maturity and understanding any little thing can derail what you're trying to accomplish on the floor," West said.

"We just got to continue to grow. Guys have to continue to be in about this situation and when you make mistakes on the floor, own up to them. When you make mistakes off the floor, own up to them. When you're not playing well, own up to it. And when we're playing well and competing at a high level, we understand that we still got work to do. All of that kinda goes to that same mix, just maximizing what we've got going on."

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