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It’s the type of storybook ending worthy of legendary sports stars: a retirement tour around the league where you say farewell to all of the cities and fanbases you played for or against – if you can manage this with one of your former teams, even better.
That surely was the hope for one of basketball’s greatest ever point guards, Chris Paul.
The diminutive (well, for the NBA anyways) floor general is a 12-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA First Teamer, a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team, second on the league’s all-time assists list and is a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer. He was so good, for so long, that one of his nicknames is a laudatory play on his position: “Point God.”
Paul seemingly confirmed to the world that this was indeed his farewell tour on November 22 with a post on X which said, “Back in NC!!! What a ride…Still so much left…GRATEFUL for this last one!!” accompanied with a career highlight reel which ended with the phrase, “Never delay gratitude.”
So it was with no lack of surprise to basketball fans that the Los Angeles Clippers, a franchise which the 40-year-old had played with from 2011 to 2017, had parted ways with Paul – despite his considerably reduced productivity – on Wednesday morning ahead of their game against the Atlanta Hawks.
Paul himself confirmed the news in a post to his Instagram Stories at 2:40 a.m. ET, “Just Found Out I’m Being Sent Home” with a peace sign emoji.
CP3’s former teammates expressed their dismay at the news after the Hawks game with James Harden saying he was “just as confused and shocked as you guys, the world” and franchise star Kawhi Leonard also saying he was taken aback. ESPN pundit Stephen A. Smith put it bluntly: “How the hell do you do this to Chris Paul?”
So what happened between the Clippers and their franchise record assists and steals leader?
One last dance
Heading into his 21st season in the NBA, Paul was facing a reality that all legends of the game must accept: Father Time was winning.
In an attempt to make his final year in the game the best it could be, Paul signed a one-year deal back in July with the Clippers as they had what appeared to be a strong squad featuring Leonard, Harden and Bradley Beal among others.
What began relatively solid with a 3-2 start to the season quickly turned sour both on and off the court. The NBA announced it was opening an investigation into the franchise over an alleged prohibited endorsement deal, Leonard was sidelined for 10 games with an ankle injury, Beal fractured his hip and was ruled out for the year, LA lost 14 of 17 games, and discontent reigned in the squad.
For his part, Paul reportedly wasn’t speaking to Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue for several weeks, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, and had clashed with management and members of the coaching staff and squad due to differing views on how to manage the downward spiral of the team.
The result? Los Angeles parting ways with what it called “a legendary Clipper who has had a historic career” in a statement sent to the Associated Press.
Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank told ESPN that the organization “was not scapegoating Chris Paul” and that he accepted “the responsibility for the record we have now.”
Frank added: “This decision had nothing to do with one incident or one meeting that did or did not happen.”
Lue, for his part, said before the Hawks game on Wednesday that Paul’s departure didn’t “necessarily (help) our team.”
“I don’t think the reason why we’re 5-16 is because of CP’s play. I just think that it wasn’t a good fit for what he was looking for,” Lue added. “Do I want to see CP go out like this? No, I have a lot of respect for him.
“He’s been a friend of mine over the years and you don’t want to see a great go out like this. But I’m pretty sure he will find something because he’s a great player. (But) I didn’t want to see it end like this.”
What next for Paul?
Paul isn’t eligible to be traded until December 15, so he will likely be grounded until then, as the Clippers are unlikely to waive him due to complicated league rules on salary cap and roster size.
A contract buyout is an option, but the situation is also a bit complicated with landing spots for Paul following any agreement.
As such, Paul remains in limbo with a surprising divorce on the horizon after what promised to be such a sweet fairytale ending.
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