Chicken-Fried News: Party that cried ‘George’

The connection between a GOP fundraiser and the biggest fish in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s offseason was too much to ignore, but the party might’ve overexaggerated Paul George’s involvement.

The state Republican Party sent out an invitation for its One Enchanted Evening August fundraiser saying that it would be held “in the beautiful showhome of Thunder Player Paul George.”

For a few brief moments, the headline hit Twitter and conservative Thunder fans were over the moon. Not only did George re-sign a four-year deal to stay in OKC, but he was supporting their party?

Well, not exactly. It’s his house, but he doesn’t live there anymore.

Oklahoma Republican Party chair Pam Pollard clarified to The Oklahoman that George was not making a political statement.

“From what I understand, he actually leases his house,” she said. “This is his seasonal home. We are renting it from the person that he actually leases it from.”

The Thunder and the managing real estate company that manages the $3.3 million home in Gaillardia said that George moved out of the home weeks ago, according to The Oklahoman.

The Facebook page for the event only shows less than 15 people have responded as “going,” and it has removed all references to George. Perhaps because there isn’t a chance to see one of George’s large bass fishing trophies in person.

It only takes a few seconds on Google to find that George probably wouldn’t be too happy about his connection to the GOP. Back in February, after Fox News commenters told LeBron James and Kevin Durant to “shut up and dribble” after they criticized President Trump, George responded:

“People just view us as athletes and basketball players. We’re just part of what’s going on in this world and what’s going on in society just as much as anybody else. … for someone to go out and say, ‘Stick to dribbling the basketball,’ that’s pretty ignorant. That just goes to show you where we are as a country right now.”

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