Chris Paul Slams Clippers’ “Disrespectful” Behaviour Towards Him Amid NBA Punishment

The San Antonio Spurs sent 39-year-old Tim Duncan into retirement with a quiet, dignified send-off. A franchise cornerstone allowed to walk away on his own terms after two decades of loyalty. It became the template for how organizations are supposed to treat legends in their final chapter. A decade later, the LA Clippers had the chance to write a similar ending for one of the greatest point guards in NBA history. Chris Paul said they didn’t come close.

In an episode with Daniel Lubetzky on Build or Break, Paul described the way the Clippers handled his exit as among the most painful experiences of his career.

“What’s interesting about that whole situation is, it’s probably one of the most disrespectful things that I’ve endured,” Paul said on Build or Break. “I’ve been through a lot of wild stuff in my career, and having older kids and a wife who’s very tapped in — they know the daily goings-on as far as that team and that organization."

"Obviously I was upset, but my family, my people, everybody. I think just because of the investment we made in the team for as long as we have, and to see the way stuff was handled — what it lets you know is that no matter what you do or what you’ve done, nobody cares.”

Paul signed a one-year, $3.6 million deal with the Clippers in July 2025. He returned to the franchise he had spent six seasons building into a perennial playoff contender from 2011 to 2017, specifically to be closer to family in Los Angeles for what he had already announced would be his 21st and final NBA season.

He played just 16 games, averaging a career-low 2.9 points and 3.3 assists in 14 minutes per game. The Clippers sent him home from a road trip to Atlanta in the middle of the night in early December.

GM Lawrence Frank confirmed the break in a brief statement: “We are parting ways with Chris, and he will no longer be a part of the team.”

Reports at the time cited internal friction over Paul’s leadership style inside the locker room as the underlying cause. His last game in a Clippers uniform came on Dec. 1, 2025, with no farewell ceremony, no announced plan, and no clarity on what came next.

Rather than release him outright, the Clippers held Paul in roster limbo for two additional months. He was included in a three-team trade deadline deal on Feb. 4, sending him to the Toronto Raptors, a franchise that never required him to report, never intended to play him, and existed in the trade purely as a salary-matching tool.

The Raptors waived him and Paul announced his retirement that same day. “This is it,” he wrote on Instagram. “After over 21 years I’m stepping away from basketball. As I write this, it’s hard to really know what to feel, but for once — most people would be surprised — I don’t have the answer, lol! But mostly I’m filled with so much joy and gratitude.”

He retires as a 12-time All-Star, an 11-time All-NBA selection, and a member of the All-Defensive Team nine times. He is the NBA’s second all-time leader in assists behind only John Stockton.

This is coming as the NBA closed its Clippers file with a severe punishment. Steve Ballmer was suspended for one year. The franchise was fined $30 million, lost out on five first-round picks, and Kawhi Leonard owes $700,000.

Investigators concluded the Clippers circumvented cap rules by helping Leonard land off-court money, including the Aspiration endorsement track that started the probe. Ballmer was barred from league functions and, in practical terms, from the building as an active owner this season.

President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank was suspended for six months. Business president Gillian Zucker was suspended for one year. Leonard’s uncle and former business manager, Dennis Robertson, was banned from league business for five years.