Paul George made his return to the City of Brotherly Love memorable Tuesday night, scoring a game-high 36 points in the Boston Celtics’ 123-101 win over the Philadelphia 76ers and flipping off a fan near Boston’s bench.

It was the nine-time All-Star’s first game back since Philadelphia sent him to the Celtics in the deal that brought Jaylen Brown to the 76ers. While Brown’s reunion with longtime former teammate Jayson Tatum drew much of the pregame attention, George ended up stealing the spotlight, and the gesture quickly sparked reactions across the NBA world.

NBA World Reacts to Paul George’s Middle Finger After 4th 3-Pointer vs. 76ers

The veteran forward was a problem for Philadelphia from the opening minutes, making Boston’s first two baskets. The 76ers tied it at 76-76 late in the third quarter, but the Celtics closed the period on a 15-6 run before Payton Pritchard opened the fourth with a pair of 3-pointers.

The former 76er then hit his 4th triple of the night to make it 100-82 with 9:36 left, prompting a Philadelphia timeout.

After the shot, the Celtics star flashed a middle finger at a fan near the sideline, delivering it with a bowling motion.

The viral incident immediately drew reactions online.

One X user reacted to the clip, writing, “We love Paul George now.”

Streamer Hogdale added, “I’m in love.”

One fan wrote, “This is art. This is important.”

George continued to punish his former team, scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter. He shot 14-for-22 from the field and 6-for-11 from deep.

Barstool Sports posted, “Paul George with a Philly salute.”

NBA Memes delivered a verdict: “Philly fans in shambles.”

Devan Kaney, who covers the Chicago Bears for Fox Chicago, remarked, “Um OK? [expletive].”

After the game, the 36-year-old explained what happened between him and the fan:

“He looked me dead in my eyes, dropped the ball on the ground as if I’m a dog to go fetch or go get it, instead of passing the ball to me like a normal fan would do. So then I rolled him a middle finger in return.”

The six-time All-NBA selectee also looked back on his two seasons in Philadelphia on the postgame broadcast, comparing them with his role in Boston:

“I’m a little bit better with more usage, and that’s no knock to my opportunities here with Philly. Quite frankly, I wasn’t healthy to take on the workload that I feel I’m at my best at. But here in Boston, they gave me an opportunity to come out here and play and be myself.”

George is scoring more and taking more shots per game in Boston than he did in his final season in Philadelphia. He also finished plus-17 in 30 minutes as the Celtics improved to 9-2 and moved into first place in the Eastern Conference.