Chris Paul has opened up about the ugly ending to his final NBA season with the Clippers, and he clearly hasn’t forgotten how it went down.
Paul returned to Los Angeles for one final run before retirement, but what was supposed to be a fitting conclusion to his Hall of Fame career quickly fell apart.
The 40-year-old’s leadership style reportedly clashed with head coach Tyronn Lue and Clippers management as the team stumbled to a 5-16 start. Eventually, things deteriorated to the point where Paul and Lue were reportedly no longer speaking, according to NBC Sports.
“What’s interesting about that whole situation is, it’s probably one of the most disrespectful things that I’ve endured..,” Paul said.
“I think just because of the investment we made in the team for as long as we have, and to see the way stuff was handled. What it lets you know is that no matter what you do or what you’ve done, nobody cares.”
The Clippers separated Paul from the team just 21 games into the season, with the decision becoming public while Los Angeles was on the road in Atlanta. The news reportedly caught other Clippers players off guard, according to NBC Sports.
Paul remained on the roster before eventually being traded to Toronto at the deadline in a move made for financial reasons.
He appeared in just 16 games during his final Clippers stint, averaging 2.9 points in 14 minutes per game while shooting 32.1 percent from the field.
The ending was a far cry from Paul’s first run in Los Angeles.
Paul played for the Clippers from 2011 to 2017 and became the centerpiece of the famous “Lob City” era alongside Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. He earned three All-NBA First Team selections, made five All-Defensive First Teams and twice finished inside the top five of MVP voting during that stretch.
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