Paul George had gone fishing a lot in Indianapolis. And now he's teaching his hobby to kids in OKC.

Jacob Wheeler and Paul George show off their catch during a fishing tournament at Geist Reservoir on May 5, 2015.

Paul George is an avid fisherman.

The former Indiana Pacer has been dropping line and hook, since he was a kid in Southern California.

George wasn't shy about sharing his love of angling with former teammates here in Indianapolis — remember the Reelin' It In T-shirts they sold at Bankers Life Fieldhouse back in 2014, when George and center Roy Hibbert bonded on a fishing trip? George even won his first fishing tournament right here in 2015 at Geist Reservoir and then posted about it on Instagram.

Now he's making a big splash in his new community of Oklahoma City by sharing his love of the pastime with kids in the area through his foundation, according to a story published Monday in The Oklahoman

Pacer fans don't need to be reminded about George's unhappy exit from the Circle City, even though the consensus now seems to be that both sides won, when George was traded to the Thunder shortly after the NBA draft for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.

According to The Oklahoman, the Paul George Foundation is working with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to create the OK Fishing in the Schools program. The program will provide a Paul George Foundation T-shirt to 1,300 fourth-graders from 13 schools in the Oklahoma City School District, who take part in George's "outdoor team."

About 45 students from a school there took part in the launch party on Monday, dropping a line in the water next to the 6-foot, 9-inch NBA star, as he taught them how to cast and, later, took them on a pontoon boat ride.

 

The 27-year-old also told them stories about fishing as a child with his father, Paul George Sr., who was also on hand for the event.

George told them about heading out from home with his pole as a boy to go fishing with his dad, but as soon as word got around the neighborhood, other kids would want to join them.

"Every time I would mention that we're going fishing, it started out with us two and it ended up being about seven or eight of us," George told his young fans. "So, they definitely enjoyed it as much as we did."

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George (No. 13) poses for photos during the Oklahoma City Thunder Media Day.

George has mentioned before how fishing helps him relax.

He also talked Monday about how excited he has been showing his 3-year-old daughter, Olivia, how to fish.

In announcing his youth program, George also may have given his new Thunder fans a hint about his desires for the future. 

During his speech announcing the initiative, George said: "Oklahoma's home for me, so it's fun to start this journey."

Later George, who can become a free agent after this season if he opts out of his contract, dangled some more bait before Thunder management and his fans.

He said he hasn't had much time to fish in Oklahoma City during the NBA season — but added "hopefully, there's a summer for that here that I can do that."

Call IndyStar digital producer Dwight Adams at (317) 444-6532. Follow him on Twitter: @hdwightadams.

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