CAMDEN, N.J. – Paul George took to a makeshift podium in the Sixers' practice facility that is usually reserved for President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey and his high-profile press conferences. This time, the arrangement was for the 35-year-old George, whose 25-game suspension for violating the NBA's anti-drug policy is over. He will play on Wednesday night when the Sixers host the Chicago Bulls.

The Sixers went 13-12 in George's absence despite also spending most of that time without Joel Embiid (knee, oblique) and chunks of it without Tyrese Maxey (finger) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (elbow). That is a success, despite the team's on-court performance during that time not being nearly as impressive as its record might indicate.

For the last several weeks, the Sixers would be playing more inspiring basketball had they been able to use their nine-time All-Star wing, one of their stabilizing forces of their defense, one of their most consistent sources of offense, and before forfeiting a sizable portion of his salary due to the suspension, the 13th-highest-paid player in the NBA this year at a salary of $51.6 million.

So on Tuesday afternoon, George issued an apology to Philadelphia and the Sixers before fielding questions for 15 minutes.

In the latest Sixers soundbites, each and every quote from George's availability:

• George's opening statement:

"Hello, everybody. Thank you all for being here. I think first and foremost, just give my apology to, obviously, the city of Philadelphia, my family, my teammates, the organization, everybody that was affected through this suspension. Obviously, [I have] to own up to that as a leader of this group, and being brought here to be a leader to help bring that edge and the possibility, a chance to win here. To let people down hurt more than kind of anything, going through this process. But shoutout to the guys for having my back, for supporting me through this time, to where now, things are on the positive side, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow and being available and giving everything I got."

• George on what specifically he took to trigger a suspension and why he took it:

"I'm not going to get into specifics on what it was. That’s more on the personal side."

• George on if he was surprised when he found out he was being suspended by the league:

"At the moment, I didn't know exactly the repercussions, and it was just a poorly-timed decision."

• George on how he is doing right now:

"Good. Obviously, being a pro athlete, it takes a toll on you, and my body wasn't where I wanted it to be and the expectations to perform, because of my body not being where it needed to be. Obviously [I set] my own highest expectation for myself and that's what led to the poor decision at the time. But again, I've said it throughout my career of dealing with mental health: I'm no superhero. I'm human, and I made a mistake in the moment."

• George on what he has been doing in preparation for his return:

"I've been very much a part of this group. I've been on the scout team helping the guys prepare. I've been Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], I've been Luka [Dončić], I've been – you name it, who we played, I've been that personnel for us to prepare for those games. I've been spending a ton of time in the weight room, conditioning, on the court, just staying in shape, staying sharp. On game days, helping VJ [Edgecombe] prepare, helping Justin [Edwards] prepare, Dalen [Terry] prepare, and also trying to teach little things that they can take and kind of put into their games. [I’ve] been very much a part of this group. Film sessions, I'm trying to be locked in, making sure the guys know what we're doing out there and just staying attentive and engaged as much as possible."

MORE: Jared McCain says 'I wanted to beat the Sixers' after successful return

• George on what it was like to watch Sixers games at home:

"It's been tough. That was one of the toughest parts about it is [being] able to do everything but attend games. Because again, I'm preparing as if I'm playing, so to speak, but then not to be able to be fully a part of the game and helping guys during games and seeing the game up close, that was hard. Being on road trips and having extended time being in a hotel room, that was tough. But again, the guys did a great job of kind of just keeping me a part of the group and keeping me engaged and I guess making it as normal as possible."

• George on where he feels he can help the Sixers in the final 10 games of the regular season:

"I think they've been playing well. Give the young guys a ton of credit. Cam [Payne] has came in and gave us a big boost. Dalen's came in and gave us a big boost. VJ has stepped up. Quentin [Grimes] has stepped up. Justin has stepped up. Trendon [Watford]. So I'm looking forward to coming back to a group of guys that [is] confident, much more confident going forward, who has gotten a lot of game time and being put in difficult situations where they've had to figure it out, and they've done so. Now to be back implemented with the group, it’s only going to be good for us, I think. I’m in a much better place physically, so I'm, from a personal standpoint, really excited about that. This 25 games was just what I needed, I think, for my body to kind of heal and be in a better place. And I've been feeling great, I've been feeling awesome on the court. And so I'm looking forward to putting it to the test. "

• George on his chances of helping the Sixers secure a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference:

"We're a game and a half back, I believe, from fifth. [We’re] kind of in a driver's seat to close out these last 10 games. Obviously, that's the goal, is to try to get the best seeding possible and get ourselves out of the play-in situation. So that's what I'm gearing for, is to take these last 10 games and use them as playoff games. Have that kind of mindset going into them that these are must-wins to solidify a great seed. We're still in a good position right now, so that's kind of how I'm looking at it."

• George on whether the Sixers' collection of injuries makes him feel more inclined to be assertive upon returning:

"That’s kind of how I view it, just to be aggressive again, get back to – again, like I said earlier, I've been feeling great preparing and working out and staying in shape. I've been feeling great, feeling explosive again, feeling strong again. And so I feel like I'm back on that level of being able to perform and be the focal guy and be the scorer. So that's my mindset going into tomorrow, is to get back to being aggressive. Obviously, there will be some rust, with missing 25 games, especially in this part of the season where guys are playing playoff basketball, so to speak. So there will be a little rust but I'm just looking forward to just being full-fledged, thrown out there, being in the mix, and just being aggressive. Whatever happens, happens. But I'm looking to go out there and do what I do and do what I've done over my career."

• George on how his left knee feels:

"The knee is good. The knee is, like I said, it’s in a better place. I feel confident in it. And so I'm ready to go. I feel good."

• George on how the organization reacted to news of his suspension:

"Obviously, there was devastation there, especially with where we were at. I believe we were the fifth seed. I think we had just won a game against Sacramento or something like that. We'd been playing good basketball. So there was some devastation, just of the momentum that was being built. I think I was starting to train in a better place. My body was getting better and better over that time. But, again, the front office gave me full support, although from my point of view, I knew I let them down. They were there to kind of pick me up and carry me along the way and [reassure] me that we'll get through this and this will be behind us. For me, the only way to pay it back is to just give it everything when I get back out there. And so that's been just what I've been trying to do, go out there and just give everything."

• George on the support he received from his teammates during his suspension:

"It was extremely, extremely important. I think they helped the process, a lot for me to get through it, knowing that [I still had their support]. Because it wasn't easy. And I give them, again, a ton of credit for holding it down, continuing on. A lot of them are young guys, so to be thrown into having to do more and pick up pieces, especially for a guy like VJ, I give him a ton of credit. He’s just put the team on his back, especially now with Tyrese [Maxey] and Joel [Embiid] being out. It meant a lot. And to have a good mix of young guys, veterans – Kyle [Lowry] was awesome for me, to have him in my corner and to be that veteran presence for me – Tyrese, Joel, all the guys, they've been supportive. So it made the process that much easier, or better. Not that it was going to be easy, but it made it better knowing that once we get through this, we’ve got a ton of upside."

MORE: Jared McCain on being traded to OKC, Philadelphia fans' outrage and more

• George, whose initial statement after being suspended in January implied he had taken something to treat his mental health, on how he is feeling mentally:

"I'm in a better place. Again, being a pro athlete, the most difficult thing is when your body isn't where you know it needs to be or where it once was. [That leads into] the mental side of things, knowing that you're limited. But for me, if I feel good, my body is feeling great, mentally, I know I'm capable of doing what I can do and what I've been able to do on the court for years. The mental thing only comes from the physical side not being in a great place."

• George on where he has seen Edgecombe grow during his suspension:

"I think for VJ it's just – I’ve been trying to just help him develop with slowing the game down, picking and choosing spots, and just being at peace with his game, being under control. So over the past 25, especially the past 7-8 games, he just looks like the game is starting to slow down for him. He's starting to see things differently. He's getting to his spots. He's raising up, playing [comfortably] in the mid-range area, which we've worked a ton on. I see it. It's fun for me to watch this process right now, because a lot of stuff that we've been working on, he's starting to pick it up, and it's starting to be like second nature. He’s just such a phenomenal athlete. I'm trying to incorporate how to use his athleticism as well as his patience and seeing the game differently. So it's been fun to watch, when I come back, [I just want to] piggyback on it, continue to tag on it. And for now, the work that we've been doing, for him to see it live, in live action, he's excited for me to come back, and I'm excited to play out there with him."

• George on how he plans to get through the initial rust of his return as quickly as possible:

"I think just conditioning-wise, obviously, I've done a ton of cardio, but you can never simulate a game. So I think more so than anything it's just going to be the cardio, to actually come back fairly quick. But then, just timing. Obviously, we try to simulate as much as possible, game-like situations, but nothing's like a game until you're in it. So there will be some rust on reads, maybe on – again, hopefully it's not a fatigue thing, I feel like I'm in pretty good shape, so hopefully it's not a fatigue thing where my legs are feeling heavy or I'm a little sluggish – but, again, being out 25 games, I know that there's going to be some situations where, alright, I haven't played in 25 games. That read will get better, or that decision-making will get better, or that shot-making will get better. I won't put too much pressure on that. The only thing for me is just to go out there, play as hard as I can to kind of build towards better conditioning and cardio going forward down this last 10-game stretch."

MORE: As Eastern Conference playoff race heats up, Embiid is still sidelined