Future Hall of Famer Chris Paul signed a one-year, $3.6 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers over the summer ahead of his 21st NBA season, but a cheerful reunion was not in the cards for the 12-time All-Star guard. Not even Paul’s teammates offered him their full support.
Chris Paul Wanted A Better Clippers Team
About two weeks after the Clippers announced Paul would no longer be a member of the team, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne unveiled new details Tuesday in a tell-all report about the fractured relationship between the franchise and former first-rounder.
Per Shelburne, Paul first “raised concerns about the team’s culture” to Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank during a discussion the morning after a Nov. 6 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
One of the issues that Paul addressed in that meeting was a “lack of conversation in the group text chat and the lack of time the players spent together off the court,” according to Shelburne.
Shelburne noted Frank responded to Paul’s criticism, stating that his “style wasn’t in line with what they needed it to be—that his leadership was being perceived as subversive rather than helpful.”
According to Shelburne, that same day also marked the last “substantive conversation” between Paul and head coach Ty Lue before the Clippers sent him home on Dec. 2.
Paul Threw A Halloween Party
Appearing on Tuesday’s edition of ESPN’s Mason & Ireland radio podcast, Shelburne added that Paul tried to serve as the team leader by building chemistry off the court, but some players weren’t on board with the idea.
“Some of the things early on — like, he invited guys to his suite at the Rams game, and he threw a Halloween party, and then… no one came,” Shelburne said. “After that, they get worked the first night in Utah, which makes this even sadder. Like, seriously — a Halloween party, and maybe three players showed up.
“I think Brad [Bradley Beal] came, and [Ivica] Zubac. Chris is trying to be like, “I’m going to help you build some culture. I’ll bring guys over to my house. Let’s work out together. Let’s have a Halloween party. He and his wife threw the party in the suite after the Halloween game — and again, only three players came.
“So you’re looking at this and thinking: he’s trying to fill the leadership void the way he knows how, and every time he did, they would kind of recoil. Like, “Eh, it’s too much.”
Paul remains under contract with the Clippers, but Monday marked the first day he was eligible to be traded.
The 2026 NBA trade deadline is Feb. 5.
