Chris Paul Was Sent Home for Being Himself

This chaos interested me mainly for what it implied about Paul’s leadership style, which increasingly seems to be a relic of the past. As he grew older and his athleticism declined, Paul evolved into a new role, gaining a reputation as a prickly, challenging character willing to appeal to his ego and elevate young players. Paul’s unceremonious exit appears to signal a departure from the classic NBA archetype of a veteran locker room presence: the guy who doesn’t play much but still sits on the bench and offers something important to the team. Udonis Haslem did it in Miami for years, playing less than twenty games in each of his finals. Seven seasons, while earning a living as a beloved veteran and culture creator, before retiring, in 2023. James Johnson bounced around the league for seven seasons, on six different teams, acting primarily as an enforcer, a player who set the tone of toughness.

And, while there may still be a place for this type of player, the Clippers, in particular, were not the right team for it. This is the oldest NBA team since 2012 in terms of average player age (31.1, but now without Paul that number has dropped a few years). The Clippers are a veteran team. Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Bradley Beal, Brook Lopez: all are players who have been in the league for over a decade and have been a team’s top dog at some point in their careers. This dynamic was doomed to failure. Paul, integrated into a group of players already at his level, has nothing to tell them that they don’t already know. On almost every other team he played for over the past five years, there were young players to take under his wing and guide. In Oklahoma City, his mentor was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a rising star; in Phoenix, there was the ascendant Devin Booker; in San Antonio, Victor Wembanyama and rookie of the year Stephon Castle. In Los Angeles, these are mostly adult men who, in terms of tenure, are much closer to his status than not. They’re not trying to hear Chris Paul dispense unsolicited wisdom, especially as the Clippers’ season seems to be increasingly derailed.

Paul’s departure indeed comes amid a disastrous start for the Clippers. Despite having one of the top ten league odds entering the season, the Clippers are stuck at the bottom of the Western Conference, roommates with tanky teams like New Orleans and Utah. At this rate, I don’t understand why they wouldn’t keep Paul, even if his leadership style was not well received in the locker room, letting him receive farewells and tributes, and allowing him to end his career on a high note.

The news of Paul’s departure from Los Angeles (and possible early retirement) reminded me of a revealing Chris Paul video from his time with the San Antonio Spurs. He had just passed Jason Kidd for second all-time in assists, and the team had given him a basketball and a custom plaque, showing Paul at various stages of his career. There, he wore a baggy, oversized New Orleans Hornets jersey during his rookie season; calling a play in Oklahoma City; throwing a no-look pass in Los Angeles. At the center of the plate was a long list of every teammate Paul had ever given an assist to during his career. Paul became emotional after seeing the list and gave a short speech that was extremely self-aware. “I know I’m often difficult to deal with,” he began, his voice beginning to crack before breaking down into tears. “I know I have a lot of issues to deal with on the court, but I love playing hoops. And I hope you all get this opportunity to play as long as I have.”

I hope Chris Paul ends up somewhere else to close out the season. I don’t know if I believe in sports as a fertile ground for discourse about what one “deserves” or not, but I do believe that Chris Paul should be able to end his career on his own terms. Whether that happens or not, I will always remember the Timberwolves at the mercy of his expansive vision of the court and his commitment to winning by any means necessary. But I will also remember this moving and heartfelt moment in the San Antonio locker room, which sums up Paul as a true leader. He wants something for his teammates, something they might not know they want yet. But if they keep their eyes up and their hands outstretched, the ball will eventually find them. ♦