When Chris Paul signed a one-year, $3.6 million contract with the Clippers last July, many in the industry believed it was the perfect retirement tour.

“I was extremely grateful. You saw I was emotional when I went back. I knew it was my last year and I was getting to play in front of my family,” Paul said this past weekend on Carmelo Anthony’s “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast.

That never happened.

Amidst a 5–16 start to the season, the Clippers shockingly sent Paul home and told him to not come back. The decision came after a tough loss to the Heat in Miami, which was followed by a meeting with Lawrence Frank, Clippers’ president of basketball operations.

He has since announced his retirement from the NBA.

Now, Paul is telling his truth, and he couldn’t care less about the repercussions. He detailed on the podcast about what led to his split from the franchise he was best associated with.

One of the biggest issues the Clippers’ front office had was with Paul’s leadership skills, which had been widely regarded as among the best in the league throughout his career. The Clippers clearly didn’t want Paul giving advice to his teammates.

“During training camp, I talked to one of my teammates for a while and then, as soon as I went in the meal room, somebody came and told me they didn’t want me giving players advice,” Paul said. “So I told them, ‘You were my assistant coach, I know you.’ But it was a lot of back-and-forth.”

While it’s unknown who Paul was speaking about regarding “my assistant coach,” it’s highly possible he was referring to current head coach Tyronn Lue, who was an assistant coach with the Clippers when Paul played there earlier in his career. It’s been reported that Paul and Lue never saw eye to eye on Paul’s role when he signed with the team this final season, clashing multiple times throughout the season.

Paul also detailed his relationship with Frank, detailing the mixed messages he received.

“Earlier in the season, Lawrence Frank sent me an article about how great my leadership was, an article I had never seen,” he said. “He texted it to me saying, ‘Man, this is great leadership right here.'”

But one of the most damning things Paul said was how Lue apparently refused to meet with his veteran point guard, which all but sealed Paul’s fate.

“Before I left the room, I asked him, ‘So L-Frank, you said you was gonna get me a meeting with T-Lue, right?’ He said, ‘I’m sorry, I couldn’t do that. Go home.'”

Paul played for LA for seven seasons from 2011–2017, becoming the NBA’s best point guard during that time and helping ignite the city’s love for its team. Led by Doc Rivers, the Clippers were armed with big men DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin, and sharpshooters JJ Redick and Jamal Crawford.

Although they never reached a Western Conference final while Paul was with the team, the Clippers became one of basketball’s most exciting brands and were affectionately known as “Lob City.”

During his time in Los Angeles, Paul averaged 18.2 points, 9.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. Over the span of his career, Paul averaged 16.8 points, 9.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game.

So it all made sense that Paul would “play” his final season in Los Angeles and get the retirement tour he so rightfully deserved in his 21st NBA season.

However, it never played out that way, which is a sad ending for one of the best players of his generation.

California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedIn
California Post SportsFacebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X
California Post Opinion
California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!
California Post App: Download here!
Home delivery: Sign up here!
Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!