Chris Paul is back playing with the Los Angeles Clippers. In what will be his last NBA season, the 40-year-old point guard is set to make one last run at a ring that he desperately wants.
After various speculations and rumors about where he might end up, Paul acknowledged that the decision to return to L.A. was easy.
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“If I’m really honest, I wanted to get back and play here by any means necessary. I didn’t even care what the team looked like. I just wanted to be home, be here with the Clippers. I’m just so excited about the moves that the team has made this offseason, Bradley Beal coming to the team, Brook Lopez, all the young guys. I talked to James [Harden], I talked to Kawhi [Leonard]. I’m even more excited about what I think we have a chance to do,” Paul said.
It has been eight years since Paul’s last game with the Clippers, and a lot has changed since then. With a completely new squad, arena and Kawhi Leonard and James Harden as leaders, the goal is clear: a fight for a championship.
“I think for me, the gratitude that I have for being able to play as long as I’ve had, I think the easiest decision in this is sitting right up here, my family. It’s getting a chance to be around them and be around a lot more, and get a chance to compete and play for a championship,” the legendary point guard added.
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So close, yet so far away
Paul played for multiple contending teams in his prime: the “Lob City” Clippers from 2011 to 2017, the Houston Rockets from 2017 to 2019, and the Phoenix Suns in 2021. From the outside, every team he initiated the offense for looked like it was built to go all the way. On the inside, however, there was always a problem or a string of bad luck that appeared in the playoffs.
In the 2014 Western Conference semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Paul made a cardinal mistake at the end of Game 5, turning the ball over and fouling Russell Westbrook on the 3-point line the very next possession, which shifted the momentum and led the Clippers to lose the lead and in the end, the game. The Thunder won Game 6 and the series.
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If it hadn’t been for Paul’s mistake, the Clippers would have had a high chance of advancing further.
2015 brought what appears to be the most painful hit of the Lob City era. In the Western Conference semis, the Clippers had a 3-1 lead over the Rockets. The last three games brought a mix of questionable decisions, weak mental strength and bad focus.
The Clippers ultimately blew the series lead and had an unacceptable finish to the games. The most famous one was in Game 6, where Corey Brewer and Josh Smith demolished the Clippers with their 3s while Harden was on the bench.
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When Paul was with the Rockets, they were on top of the West alongside the Golden State Warriors and were seen as the Warriors’ kryptonite. 2018 was the biggest chance at a title for the Rockets with the Harden-Paul duo, and it especially looked that way five games into their Western Conference finals series. But even though Houston had a 3-2 lead over Golden State, Paul injured his hamstring and was out for the series. In Game 7, the Rockets missed a record-breaking 27 3-pointers in a row and ended up losing.
2019 brought the two top dogs of the west back in the WCF, but this time the Warriors were just too much for the Rockets. Paul and Harden didn’t have the capacity to close out games, even though Kevin Durant was in and out of the lineup due to injury. They ultimately lost the series in six games.
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In the 2021 season, Paul made it all the way to the NBA finals with the Suns where they faced the Milwaukee Bucks. The Suns took the first two games and it seemed like Paul was finally going to get that ring. But then Giannis Antetokounmpo took over and the Bucks won four games in a row, winning the whole thing.
With a pattern that formed in the previous years, Paul didn’t look like himself in key moments. He made a few costly turnovers and just couldn’t keep up with the Bucks’ rhythm. The critics said that he got scared of the moment and couldn’t follow the intensity of the finals.
Final season, final chance
With the Clippers retooling, they are most certainly a contender. But the two main problems surrounding them are health and age. They are the oldest team in NBA history and with their injury history, the big questions around them are most certainly justified.
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Regardless of their depth and names on paper, many don’t believe in the Clippers’ chances because of those concerns.
It is certain that Paul will give everything he’s got left in the tank for the Clippers to make a deep run. Is that going to be enough, considering his age? We’ll have to wait and see.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 22, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.