EXCLUSIVE: Los Angeles Clippers legend Chris Paul spoke on the role and impact professional athletes have in being active in their communities to support the causes they believe in
16:50 ET, 07 Nov 2025Updated 17:09 ET, 07 Nov 2025
Chris Paul spoke on the importance of being active in the communities and the impact players have(Image: Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, California – In a time where it is becoming more difficult to separate sports and politics, Chris Paul understands how important it is for players to use their platforms to speak out about the issues that affect them.
The Los Angeles Clippers star guard has been at the forefront of player activism over the last half-decade, helping players understand the impact of their words and actions. Along with accomplishments on an NBA floor, Paul has been a crucial figure in helping push social justice movements.
And on the night of the Nov. 4 elections, Paul made it clear just how impactful player activism was after the Clippers’ matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder in Southern California. Notably, the game was played at the same time the polls closed for California’s Proposition 50, which passed with nearly two-thirds of the vote.
READ MORE: Brian Kelly makes stance on $54M buyout clear in leaked LSU emailREAD MORE: Heartbroken Novak Djokovic can’t hold back tears as he mourns great loss after match
“I think it’s really important for players to be active in their communities,” Paul shared exclusively with Mirror U.S. Sports after the Clippers’ 126-107 loss to the defending champion Thunder in Inglewood on Tuesday. The 40-year-old also shared how what happens on a basketball court also could provide a glimpse into real-world issues.
“What we do here in the game is just a snapshot of our lives, you know, so to be active, to use your voice, I think to each his own,” the NBA legend continued.
When it comes to player activism, Paul is uniquely qualified to speak on that particular issue due to his experience as the President of the National Basketball Players’ Association (NBPA). The Clippers star served in that capacity from 2013 to 2021, becoming the longest-tenured president.
And while Paul enjoyed a relatively harmonious first few years of his leadership, one of the biggest accomplishments of his tenure occurred in 2016, when the NBPA unanimously voted to fund health insurance for retired players with at least three years of experience. It was the first of its kind in American sports, according to Andscape.
Paul is well aware of the power players have in terms of activism, especially as the former President of the NBA’s player association(Image: Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images for CNN)
Furthermore, the star’s leadership was tested in 2020 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut down the league after Rudy Gobert became the first player to test positive. Paul worked with then-NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts to negotiate with the NBA to create a path for resumption of play, thus establishing the Orlando Bubble at Walt Disney World.
When the Milwaukee Bucks refused to take the court for a playoff game after Jacob Blake, a Black man, was shot by police in Wisconsin in the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement, it left the teams in the Bubble at an impasse. Some, like LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers, reportedly opposed the resumption of play as a result, according to Sportico.
Paul, James, and others spoke with former President Barack Obama, and from that conversation, it was decided that play would resume, though the NBPA had specific stipulations. The two sides created a social justice coalition and worked to convert team facilities to voting locations.
Speaking after the Thunder’s Game 4 win in the first round of the 2020 NBA Playoffs against the Houston Rockets, Paul explained that while the victory helped even the series, something much bigger was at stake for athletes in the NBA and beyond.
Get Peacock starting at $7.99
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
$7.99
Peacock
Looking for more to watch? Peacock has hit shows, movies, live sports, and more. You can watch popular titles like Wicked and The Traitors, along with Premier League matches and live golf all in one place. Peacock offers plans starting at $7.99 a month and you can cancel anytime.
“I’m going to challenge all my NBA guys, other sports guys, let’s try to get our entire teams registered to vote,” he began after the win. “There’s a lot of stuff going on in the country. Sports — it’s cool, it’s good, and well. It’s how we take care of our families, but those are the real issues we’ve got to start addressing.”
Despite facing criticism for holding an All-Star Game in 2021 during the pandemic, Paul pushed for the game to highlight and support historically Black colleges and universities. Later that same year, Paul’s tenure as president came to an end.
Since 2020, Paul has been a journeyman of sorts in the NBA, with one of his stops being in San Antonio, where he played for legendary coach and noted civil and human rights activist Gregg Popovich. Although he spent only one season in San Antonio, Paul shared a conversation he had with the 76-year-old, discussing the fact that he is back in Los Angeles amid the current events unfolding in the United States as a whole.
“I talked to Pop about a week ago, a week and a half ago, just about life and perspective. And I think for me, that’s probably the best part of being back out here is that I get a chance to go see my family after the game,” Paul concluded to Mirror U.S. Sports.