Why Chris Paul’s Exit From the Clippers Is Even Messier Than We Thought
Just when you thought the LA Clippers couldn’t possibly make their 2025-26 season any more of a dumpster fire, new details drop that somehow make the whole situation even more cringe-worthy. If you’ve been following the sudden, unceremonious boot of Chris Paul from the team, buckle up—because it turns out the vibes were rancid long before he was sent packing.
Let’s be real for a second: the Clippers sitting at 6-20 is already embarrassing enough. But the latest reports paint a picture of a locker room that was less “professional basketball team” and more “high school drama club.”
The Practice Court Beatdowns
Here is the funniest part of this whole saga. According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and player John Collins, Paul wasn’t just sitting around collecting dust on the bench. He was actively embarrassing the starters in practice.
Collins was quoted saying, “We were kicking their a**. Every day, we were kicking [the starters’] a**.”
Imagine being a starter on the oldest team in NBA history, struggling to win a measly six games, and getting absolutely dismantled in practice by the “Point God” and the bench squad every single day. It’s objectively hilarious, but it also explains so much about the tension. Nobody likes being shown up, especially by the guy who is supposed to be “washed.” Paul might be averaging career-low minutes, but clearly, the competitive pettiness is still at an all-time high.
The Van Gundy Beef
It wasn’t just the players catching stray Ls in practice. The beef between Paul and the coaching staff, specifically Jeff Van Gundy, sounds painfully awkward. Reports are surfacing about silent treatments on the bench that would make a bad first date look comfortable. Apparently, during a stretch of DNP-CDs (Did Not Play – Coach’s Decision), Paul and Van Gundy sat next to each other in stone-cold silence until Paul finally snapped and asked if Van Gundy wasn’t talking to him. Van Gundy allegedly scoffed. Scoffed. We are talking about grown men here, folks.
Then there was the incident on the team plane. A classic “he said, she said” argument broke out over defensive schemes against the Mavericks. Paul claimed he just made a suggestion about Kawhi Leonard not guarding Klay Thompson; Van Gundy accused him of forcing the change.
The argument got heated enough that it made its way back to the front office. When Kawhi Leonard—a man who speaks about as often as a mime—actually takes a side (Paul’s side, in this case), you know the coaching staff has lost the plot.
The “Leadership” Clash
Let’s talk about Ty Lue. He’s been out here trying to play peacemaker in the press, claiming, “I had no problems with Chris,” and talking about 40-minute phone calls. But the reports tell a different story.
It seems Paul’s leadership style—which, let’s be honest, has always been abrasive and demanding—didn’t mesh with the coaching staff’s vision. There was even a mention of a Halloween party intended to build team chemistry that apparently flopped harder than the Clippers’ playoff hopes. When your attempts to bond the team fail immediately, the writing is usually on the wall.
What Now for the Clippers?
The Clippers are currently a disaster class in roster management. They have the oldest roster in the league, zero chemistry, and a record that puts them near the bottom of the Western Conference. They sent a Hall of Famer home because they couldn’t handle the friction, yet they can’t simply waive him due to cap constraints. They are stuck trying to trade a guy they just publicly exiled.
As for Chris Paul? He’s likely sitting at home, probably polishing his collection of State Farm commercials, knowing that even in his “final season,” he can still run a second unit better than the Clippers starters can run a game. Whether he lands on a contender or rides off into the sunset, he definitely won this round of the PR war. The Clippers, meanwhile, have a road game against the Thunder coming up. Good luck with that.
