The first time came in early December after the Los Angeles Clippers dismissed Paul while being in the middle of a five-day road trip. It was a painful, messy basketball divorce.
"We are parting ways with Chris, and he will no longer be a part of the team,” Clippers executive Lawrence Frank said. “We will work with him on the next step of his career. Chris is a legendary Clipper who has had a historic career. I want to make one thing very clear. No one is blaming Chris for our underperformance. I accept responsibility for the record we have right now. There are a lot of reasons why we’ve struggled. We’re grateful for the impact Chris has made on the franchise.”
This statement left the NBA speechless.
The Chris Paul timeline
Paul is widely regarded as one of the greatest point guards in league history. Despite never winning a championship ring, he left a profound impact on every franchise he represented and on countless teammates. Nicknamed the “Point God,” he built his reputation on elite passing - becoming a five-time assist champion - surgical court vision, and an unwavering competitive drive that led him to be selected to the All-NBA team 11 times in his 21 year-career.
At just six feet tall, the North Carolina native understood he had to develop skills and tools to compensate for his height deficit and get separation from other playmakers. And so, he did – Paul mastered ball-handling, developed a lethal mid-range jumper, and became a disruptive defender, eventually becoming a nine-time All-Defensive team selection and six-time Steal Champion.
For more than two decades, he embodied consistency, repeatedly proving himself a generational talent, eventually leading him to become part of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
Paul played two years at Wake Forest University in his home state. After a couple of stunning seasons, he declared for the 2005 NBA Draft. The New Orleans Hornets selected him as the fourth overall pick. During his inaugural professional campaign, the star point guard averaged 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 2.2 steals per game and won the NBA Rookie of the Year award.
CP3 spent six seasons in New Orleans before they traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers.
There, he formed a dynamic trio with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan; they became notorious for their fast-paced offense. Often punctuated by spectacular alley-oops, they became known as “Lob City.”Paul orchestrated the offense; Griffin and Jordan finished above the rim.
The Clippers were entertaining and competitive, but they never broke through to the NBA Finals.
His years in LA were the most glorious. In the 2014–15 season, Paul led the league in assists with 838 - no other player had more than 792. Still, postseason success proved elusive. In 2017, seeking a contract extension that the Clippers were unwilling to offer, he agreed to a trade to the Houston Rockets.
During his first tenure in Texas, Paul helped the Rockets to reach the Western Conference Finals. Houston held a 3-2 advantage over the Golden State Warriors, but the playmaker injured his hamstring and was out for the remainder of the series.
The Warriors, led by Steph Curry, battled back and ended up beating the Rockets to advance to the NBA Finals. His second year with Houston was uneventful, and when it ended, the franchise dealt him to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Not much happened there either, and one month into his second season with the Thunder, Oklahoma City traded Paul to the Phoenix Suns. In Arizona, Paul finally got close to the Larry O’Brien trophy – Phoenix outlasted every Western Conference team to make the Finals but fell to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games.
Paul did not return to the Finals after that run. During the 2022-2023 campaign, he surpassed 20,000 points and 11,000 assists. He also passed Michael Jordan for third on the NBA all-time career steals list.
This was his last season in the Suns uniform after the team traded Paul to the Golden State Warriors.
On October 29, 2023, he came off the bench for the first time in his NBA career, snapping an unbelievable streak of 1,365 games started. After his stint in the Bay Area, Paul signed a one-year deal with the San Antonio Spurs.
While team success remained limited, Paul continued to add to his resume.
He became the first player in NBA history to reach 23,000 points and 12,000 assists. Remarkably, he started all 82 regular-season games for the Spurs — the first player to do so at his age in two decades.
Clippers controversy
Knowing the end of his decorated career was near, CP3 returned to the Clippers after signing another one-and-done contract, hoping to finish where his prime once flourished. In November 2025, Paul confirmed on social media that the current season is going to be his last.
Little did he know the end was closer than he ever expected.
On December 3, 2025, the Clippers announced that they were parting ways with Paul. They sent him home after an away game without a warning. The veteran point guard was shocked, and so was the basketball sphere.
Paul has long been known as a blue-collar, tough, demanding leader — vocal, intense, and relentlessly competitive, yet deeply committed to winning. Demanding and vocal, but professional, always seeking the best for the team.
Why would the Clippers get rid of him while being on a road trip? What was so urgent about his dismissal that it couldn’t wait until the team returned to LA?
Questions and confusion bubbled. Tension rose. Paul, a two-time Olympian and a 12-time All-Star, just got fired by one of the worst teams in the league. The Clippers were 5-16 and at the bottom of the Western Conference. Surely the future Hall of Famer wasn’t the reason why the team was struggling.
The whole situation was absurd.
When Paul rejoined the Clippers, the organization made clear he would serve in a reserve role — a veteran presence at the end of the bench. Paul agreed, though he expressed his desire to compete and act as an extension of the coaching staff in helping the team improve.
Throughout his career, the 40-year-old star was infamously known for his vocal leadership and competitiveness.
“That's how Chris is,” one executive with another team said. “He wears you out. He's convinced he's right - and he often is right, which kind of pisses you off - and he'll go around to everyone until you agree with him.”
But he also added, “If all they wanted was a cheerleader, why did they sign Chris Paul? I mean, they had him before. They knew what he was like.”
In LA, Paul competed. During the preseason training camp, he quickly emerged as the leader of the second playing unit – a group that was supposed to lose to the starters every time. Instead, they consistently beat them up.
"We were kicking their ass,” forward John Collins recently told ESPN. “Every day, we were kicking (the starters) ass."
Suddenly, things started escalating fast.
After the disastrous start to the Clippers’ season, Paul was looking for ways to improve the team. He was correcting his teammates and offering different training methods, which caused the leadership to warn him not to undermine the coaching staff. He gave speeches in the locker room; they were viewed as creating division.
According to Frank (Clippers executive), Paul’s approach no longer aligned with what the Clippers needed from him. He clashed with head coach Ty Lue and had further disagreements with associate head coach Stan Van Gundy. After multiple meetings and a final warning, the franchise made its decision.
Following the veteran's announcement about his intention to retire following the conclusion of the season, the Clippers released a tribute video. The caption said Paul would “end his Hall of Fame career at home.”
Exactly four days later, the statement turned into a lie as Paul was on a plane back to LA while the team was preparing to play in Atlanta.
Paul's sad end to a legendary career
Instead of a retirement tour, Paul’s last season ended in a controversial heartbreak. He found favor in the eyes of many. But some also expressed understanding of the Clippers’ bold move.
“He was a pain in the ass when he was a great player,” another executive with a different team said. “And now he's not a great player.”
Nevertheless, it is fair to say that a player of Paul’s caliber didn’t deserve such treatment.
“I don't even like him that much,” said one source close to a current Clippers player. “But this isn't a G League guy. This is Chris Paul. There are ways to do it where he can save a little face.”
“He's intense, man,” Collins said. “He's a leader. Somebody who wants the best for everybody. Somebody who wanted greatness, and that's what he demands. It's definitely a lot quieter without him here.”
A couple of months after the incident, Los Angeles traded Paul to the Toronto Raptors at the NBA trade deadline. The Raptors waived him, and Paul decided it was time to officially step away from basketball.
After releasing his announcement, he received words of praise.
Despite the turbulent ending, Chris Paul will be remembered as one of the greatest point guards to ever step onto the hardwood.
For more than 20 years, he orchestrated elite offenses and set the standard for leadership at the position.
In retrospect, his career was nothing short of remarkable.
