The Los Angeles Clippers shocked the NBA world earlier this week when they made the decision to send Chris Paul home in the middle of the night. The future Hall of Famer returned to the Clippers for his final NBA season, but the veteran will now have to latch on elsewhere to continue his career.
It was such a shocking move due to Paul’s status as one of the best players in franchise history. The point guard was well-respected within the locker room, and fellow veteran Nicolas Batum just spoke glowingly of Paul in a recent interview.
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Nicolas Batum Heaps Praise on Chris Paul
While speaking with RG Media late last month, Batum touched on everything from his longevity in the league, to Paul’s greatness.
The 2025-26 season was the first season in which Batum and Paul were teammates, but Batum was impressed by Paul during their short time together.
“When you play with guys like that (Paul and James Harden), it’s just an honor to be around those guys, learn from them,” Batum told RG just nine days ago. “We have a lot of team dinners, and I have many chances to sit down with him and talk about the last 15, 20 years. It’s just amazing to talk about basketball with someone who’s just passionate about it.”
It’s interesting that Batum talked about the solid chemistry between the veterans just days before Paul’s release.
Paul entered the NBA in 2005 while Batum entered in 2008. Paul is the lone remaining active member from his draft class, while Batum is one of six remaining from his.
“You can see his career. I don’t have enough time to talk about his NBA career, but we all know he’s up there. He’s up there, and he’s gonna be in Springfield as soon as he can. He’s gonna be in the Hall of Fame, and he’s gonna be missed because he’s one of the best point guards and best players we’ve ever seen,” Batum explained.
Chris Paul Move Shocks NBA Community
Those comments from Batum just show how respected Paul is in the NBA community. Unfortunately, nothing has gone right during what is supposed to be the point guard’s final season.
The Clippers are among the worst teams in the Western Conference, sitting at 6-16. Before his release, Paul was averaging 2.9 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.8 rebounds per game in 14.3 minutes.
However, Paul’s best seasons have come with the Clippers. Over seven total seasons with the Clippers, Paul averaged 18.2 points, 9.6 assists, 2.1 steals, and 4.1 rebounds per game.
Meanwhile, Batum has had quite the career in his own right. The wing is in his 18th NBA season and averages 10.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists for his career.