An argument between veteran guard Chris Paul and assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy reportedly played a role the Los Angeles Clippers’ decision to part ways with Paul this month.
According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Van Gundy and Paul had a disagreement on a team flight when Van Gundy accused Paul of undermining the coaching staff by changing Kawhi Leonard’s defensive assignment during a 114-110 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 29.
Paul reportedly questioned the coaches’ usage of Leonard, who was coming off a minutes restriction. Leonard was tasked with shadowing Klay Thompson, who is known for his movement without the ball, and CP3 reportedly argued that it would tire Leonard out.
When Van Gundy reportedly accused Paul of changing the assignment, Paul reportedly countered by saying it was only a suggestion before standing up, walking down the aisle of the plane and asking Leonard and Kris Dunn to recount what happened.
Leonard and Dunn reportedly backed Paul by confirming that he only suggested the change to the assignment, but the Clippers reportedly “decided they’d finally had enough” of Paul at that point.
On Dec. 3, Paul wrote in an Instagram post that he had just found out he was being “sent home” by the Clippers.
It was later reported by The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Law Murray and Joe Vardon that head coach Ty Lue and his staff were “at wit’s end” with Paul, adding that some of his teammates “took exception with his disparaging tone” as well.
Paul, 40, is a likely future Hall of Famer with 12 All-Star nods, 11 All-NBA selections and nine NBA All-Defensive Team selections to his credit. He is also second in NBA history in total assists and steals.
On top of that, Paul is one of the greatest players in Clippers history, as he was a five-time All-Star in six seasons with the team from 2011 to 2017.
The Clippers signed Paul this past offseason, adding him to an already veteran-laden team led by Leonard and James Harden.
While the hope was seemingly that Paul could provide some leadership and some quality minutes off the bench, things went awry, and Paul was sent home after appearing in only 16 games.
Paul notwithstanding, the 2025-26 season has been a nightmarish one for the Clippers, as they are 14th in the Western Conference with a 6-20 record and in line to miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2021-22 campaign.