Atlanta Hawks fans didn’t let the Los Angeles Clippers off the hook after parting ways with veteran point guard Chris Paul.
During the Clippers’ matchup against Atlanta on the road on Wednesday, fans at State Farm Arena chanted “Where’s Chris Paul?”
Paul, who signed with the Clippers this offseason after spending the 2024-25 campaign with the San Antonio Spurs, was sent home by Los Angeles ahead of its matchup with Atlanta. The Clippers later confirmed that he is no longer on the team.
“We are parting ways with Chris and he will no longer be with the team,” the team said in a statement to NBA insider Chris Haynes. “We will work with him on the next step of his career. Chris is a legendary Clipper who has had a historic career. I want to make one thing very clear. No one is blaming Chris for our underperformance. I accept responsibility for the record we have right now. There are a lot of reasons why we’ve struggled. We’re grateful for the impact Chris has made on the franchise.”
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that “Paul and his leadership style clashed with the Clippers” and he “has been vocal in holding management, coaches and players accountable, which the team felt became disruptive.” Charania also noted that Paul and head coach Ty Lue hadn’t been on speaking terms for several weeks.
According to Haynes, Paul requested a meeting with Lue to talk about “allegations of being a negative presence on the team,” but Lue refused to have the meeting.
Paul had some of the best seasons of his career with the Clippers and was hoping to have a retirement tour with them, but ultimately that won’t happen. Instead, Paul and Los Angeles will go their separate ways, either through a trade, buyout or the team waiving him.
Paul, who is almost certainly on his way to the Hall of Fame, will look to join another team to close out his all-time great career.