In a stunning turn of events, the LA Clippers sent Chris Paul home on Tuesday night, amid the future Hall of Famer’s last season in the NBA.
Paul reacted to the news on his Instagram with the following message:
“Just found out I’m being sent home,” he wrote, adding a peace emoji.
Paul’s post suggests he learned about the Clippers’ decision along with the rest of the world and that he was not kept in the loop about being cut.
Per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk, Paul was in Atlanta with the Clippers when he was sent home.
“Can confirm as Chris Paul says on his IG that he has been told he is being sent home from Atlanta where the Clippers play on Wednesday,” reported Youngmisuk.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelbourne, who has covered Paul for years, felt it was “quite a move” by the Clippers to send their franchise legend home with such short notice.
“Stunning development with the Clippers sending franchise legend Chris Paul home tonight,” she wrote on X. “Obviously he’s been in and out of Tyronn Lue’s rotation this year. But sending any player home, let alone a player of Paul’s stature in the league and with the franchise, is quite a move.”
Clippers Justify Decision
Lawrence Frank, the president of basketball operations for the Clippers, issued the following statement while justifying the team’s decision to cut Chris Paul:
“We are parting ways with Chris and he will no longer be with the team,” Frank said in a statement, via ESPN. “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. 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.”
Chris Paul to Have Jersey Retired
In his 16 appearances with the Clippers this season, Chris Paul averaged 2.9 points, 3.3 assists, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.7 steals from 14.3 minutes per contest. He was initially expected to serve as the backup point guard. However, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue has preferred to play the likes of Kobe Sanders, Bogdan Bogdanović, and Cam Christie in recent outings, making Paul almost an afterthought.
Unless Paul is signed to another team, he will finish his illustrious career with 1,519 games, including 149 postseason outings from 15 playoff runs. Paul, the 2006 Rookie of the Year, was selected to 12 NBA All-Star Teams, 11 All-NBA teams and nine NBA All-Defensive Teams, establishing himself as one of the best two-way guards in the league.
Paul is expected to have his No. 3 jersey retired by the Clippers despite the acrimonious end to his career with the franchise, per Andscape’s Marc J. Spears.
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