<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celebrity/clippers-chris-paul-touches-on-wild-situation-around-vetoed-trade-to-play-with-kobe-bryant');   ga('set', 'title', 'Clippers’ Chris Paul touches on ‘wild situation’ around vetoed trade to play with Kobe Bryant');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/GettyImages-79816827-e1761421014446.jpg"></figure><h1>Clippers’ Chris Paul touches on ‘wild situation’ around vetoed trade to play with Kobe Bryant</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-25T12:42:50-07:00">October 25th, 12:42pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-25T12:42:50-07:00">October 25th, 12:42pm</time><address><a href="http://designsux.com">Burtland Dixon</a>As an avid enthusiast of entertainment, Burtland Dixon is a passionate individual who revels in the magic of movies, sports, music, and pop culture. Whether it's catching the latest blockbuster, watching the marquee matchup of the week, attending live concerts, or getting immersed in the world of gaming, Burtland finds joy in all forms of entertainment.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Celebrity</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Chris Paul recently opened up about one of the wildest moments in NBA history, the infamous 2011 trade that would have paired him with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/24-best-moments-of-kobe-bryants-career-ranked">Kobe Bryant</a> on the Los Angeles Lakers. <a href="https://andscape.com/features/chris-paul-los-angeles-clippers-qa/" rel="noopener">Speaking with ESPN’s Marc J. Spears</a>, the veteran guard reflected on the moment that changed the trajectory of his career and, arguably, the league itself, per Andscape.</p><p>Back in December 2011, reports of a three-team blockbuster between the Lakers, New Orleans Hornets, and Houston Rockets sent shockwaves through the NBA. The deal would have sent Paul to Los Angeles in exchange for a package headlined by Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. At just 26, Paul was one of the best point guards in the world, and the thought of him teaming up with Bryant had Lakers fans dreaming of another championship run.</p><p>But that dream never came true. Then NBA commissioner David Stern, whose league temporarily owned the Hornets at the time, vetoed the deal. Lakers governor Jeanie Buss later explained that the confusion stemmed from miscommunication between Stern and Hornets general manager Dell Demps, who allegedly approved the trade without getting the final word from the league office. The fallout was immediate. Fans were furious, players were blindsided, and a generation of “what if” debates began that still linger today.</p><p>Stern later clarified that the trade might have gone through if the Lakers front office had shown more patience. “We thought we could redo the deal,” he said years later. “But Mitch Kupchak panicked and moved Odom to Dallas. So, the piece wasn’t even there for us to play with.”</p><h2><b>Paul Reflects on His Career and Kobe Connection</b></h2><p>During his conversation with Spears, Paul was asked what stands out most about his NBA journey. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the countless assists or his run with multiple All-Star teams, but his work as president of the players’ union. “For all of us to have health insurance for retired players, that’s No. 1,” Paul said. “It’s selfless. It’s something bigger than the game.”</p><p>Yet even with that pride, Paul admitted that the failed Lakers trade remains etched in his memory. “<i>The thing I look back on and I’ll be like, dang, that’s crazy. I can’t believe that happened? It’ll probably be that trade with me and Kobe</i>,” Paul said. “<i>I vividly remember the conversation we had that night. I’ll talk about it one day. But that was just a wild situation</i>.”</p><p>As for Kobe Bryant’s passing, Paul described it as something he still struggles to process. “It’s almost just like we haven’t talked in a while,” he said softly.</p><p>Over a decade later, the image of Paul feeding Bryant for game-winning jumpers remains one of the great what-ifs in basketball lore. For Paul, it’s more than just a lost opportunity, it’s a reminder of how unpredictable and human this game can be.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Clippers’ Chris Paul touches on ‘wild situation’ around vetoed trade to play with Kobe Bryant

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-luka-doncic-chris-paul-comparison-deandre-ayton');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers’ Luka Doncic draws intriguing Chris Paul comparison from Deandre Ayton');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Luka-Doncic-dribbling-the-ball-against-Warriors.jpg"><figcaption>William Liang-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Lakers’ Luka Doncic draws intriguing Chris Paul comparison from Deandre Ayton</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-24T11:58:02-07:00">October 24th, 11:58am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-24T11:58:02-07:00">October 24th, 11:58am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Lakers added Deandre Ayton this past offseason. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-shaq-deandre-ayton-warning-shaky-debut">Ayton endured an underwhelming Lakers debut</a>, but there is potential for him in LA if he can develop chemistry with Luka Doncic. Doncic understands what it takes to find the roll man in the pick-and-roll, so the duo could be quite dangerous if they get on the same page. Ayton previously played with Chris Paul and Devin Booker — and <a href="https://x.com/mcten/status/1981789896416317831" rel="noopener">he compared</a> Doncic and Austin Reaves to his former teammates on Friday.</p><p>“He (Doncic) talks with his eyes,” Ayton told reporters, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “You have great play-makers, like CP, and playing with Book. You can tell, you have that one conversation with them and they know what you want. They all geniuses… They know the game. They’re already picking teams apart… Just adding another guy, where I’m putting pressure on the rim. I’m giving them what they want, how they want their screens set… It’s a timing thing.”</p><p>The ingredients are present for success. The Lakers are still finding their rhythm as a team overall. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-news-lebron-james-injury-timeline-update-patient-approach">LeBron James is out with injury</a>, which forces an adjustment given how important of a presence he is in the lineup.</p><p>So, how can Ayton continue to build chemistry with play-makers such as Doncic and Reaves? Well, his experience of playing with a star point guard like Paul could help matters.</p><p>“It’s a thing where you’re reading the defense together, you’re on the same page,” Ayton continued. “It’s like watching a movie together, ‘you see what I see?’ Things like that. I’m starting to see AR (Reaves) and Luka show me things that they like, because I’ve been around, where CP3 is more of a slow shifty guy, that’s what Luka gives me.”</p><p>The Lakers will play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers’ Luka Doncic draws intriguing Chris Paul comparison from Deandre Ayton

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-watch-fans-huge-reaction-to-chris-paul-entering-preseason-game');   ga('set', 'title', 'Watch Clippers fans’ huge reaction to Chris Paul entering preseason game');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Clippers-guard-Chris-Paul-3-poses.jpg"><figcaption>© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Watch Clippers fans’ huge reaction to Chris Paul entering preseason game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-09T21:57:03-07:00">October 9th, 9:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-09T21:57:03-07:00">October 9th, 9:57pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Clippers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-chris-paul-signing-for-likely-final-year-draws-perfect-message-from-lawrence-frank">Los Angeles Clippers made a few notable additions</a> this past offseason, bolstering a lineup that went toe-to-toe with a Denver Nuggets squad that presented the biggest challenge to the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2025 NBA playoffs. Among those additions they made is Chris Paul, with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-chris-paul-nba-future-amid-retirement-rumors">Clippers bringing back the future Hall of Famer</a> for what could be his final season in the NBA.</p><p>Make no mistake about it, however, Paul can still play even though he’s already a fossil in NBA standards. The Clippers didn’t just bring him for sentimental value; he genuinely will be one of the best backup point guards in the league even at age 40. And the crowd at Frontwave Arena for their Thursday night preseason contest against the Guangzhou Loong Lions <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1976484280869282298" rel="noopener">could not be happier</a> to see Paul, the team’s best player during the Lob City era (2011 to 2017), don a Clippers uniform yet again.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Chris Paul gets an ovation from the Clippers crowd 👏🏽</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TomerAzarly</a>) <a href="https://t.co/Q8n8tUYzWi">pic.twitter.com/Q8n8tUYzWi</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1976484280869282298?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 10, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-chris-paul-posts-throwback-photos-reunion">Paul will always be beloved</a> among a good subset of Clippers fans, as his arrival helped bring a respectability to a franchise that was treated as a laughingstock for most of its existence, which was understandable, considering how they were operating like one.</p><p>It certainly is fitting that Paul could be ending his Hall of Fame career with the Clippers, considering how some of his most iconic moments in the NBA came with the franchise.</p><p>Paul, of course, is still gunning for his first NBA championship, and so are the Clippers. A lot will have to go right for LA for them to break through and win a title, especially when they’re still dealing with some off-court issues involving Kawhi Leonard and team governor Steve Ballmer.</p><p>But Paul’s confidence in the Clippers’ chances of winning a title is telling, since he joined them for his potential swan song. Him appearing in his first preseason game is just the first step of many more to come between now and June for this title-hopeful team.</p><h2><b>Chris Paul joins revamped Clippers team</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Chris-Paul-looks-on-as-Team-CP3-plays-a-game-against-Nightrydas-at-Nike-EYBL.jpg"><figcaption>© Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>As mentioned earlier, Paul was just one of many veterans the Clippers added in what’s shaping up to be their best opportunity to win in the Kawhi Leonard era since their 2020 choke job.</p><p>Joining Paul as new additions for the team are Bradley Beal, John Collins, and Brook Lopez, and they have so much depth across multiple positions that they can afford to give Leonard the rest days he needs to stay healthy.</p><p>Father Time, however, is undefeated, and this Clippers squad is old as dirt — can they stay healthy when it matters the most?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Watch Clippers fans’ huge reaction to Chris Paul entering preseason game

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-nba-executives-envision-chris-paul-coach');   ga('set', 'title', 'NBA executives envision Clippers’ Chris Paul becoming a coach');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Chris-Paul.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>NBA executives envision Clippers’ Chris Paul becoming a coach</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-10-09T09:42:49-07:00">October 9th, 9:42am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-10-09T09:42:49-07:00">October 9th, 9:42am</time><address><a>Rohan Brahmbhatt</a>Rohan Brahmbhatt is an adventure-driven sports writer, passionate footballer, mountaineer, and photojournalist. Rohan blends firsthand experience with storytelling—capturing the intensity of sport and the thrill of exploration. Whether on the field, a mountain trail, or behind the lens, he brings authentic, high-energy narratives that connect readers to the heart of the action.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Clippers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Chris Paul has long been known as one of the sharpest basketball minds of his generation, and now NBA executives are envisioning his leadership extending beyond the hardwood. In the league’s annual survey of general managers, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-chris-paul-agree-to-deal-1-year-contract-in-free-agency">Paul, who is back with the Los Angeles Clippers</a>, was voted the active player most likely to become a successful head coach someday, <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/2025-26-nba-gm-survey" rel="noopener">earning 27% of the vote</a>.</p><p>Nicknamed the “Point God” for his exceptional command of the game, Paul’s influence has long transcended box scores. His understanding of tempo, spacing, and accountability has made him a coach’s dream and a natural leader in every locker room he’s joined.</p><p>After spending <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-chris-paul-pens-emotional-goodbye-san-antonio-returns-clippers">last season with the San Antonio Spurs</a>, where he remarkably played all 82 games, becoming the first player to do so in his 20th season or later, Paul’s return to the Clippers adds another chapter to his storied career.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Running it back in Los Angeles 🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/CP3?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CP3</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/LAClippers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LAClippers</a> <a href="https://t.co/wYht5scTIy">pic.twitter.com/wYht5scTIy</a></p><p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1973426812727468229?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 1, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>This reunion is a homecoming of sorts. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-10-greatest-players-in-franchise-history-ranked">Paul previously played six seasons</a> with the Clippers (2011–12 to 2016–17), helping usher in the franchise’s “Lob City” era. During that span, he was a five-time All-Star and earned five All-NBA selections, the most in franchise history.</p><p>His 4,023 assists also remain a Clippers record, underscoring his lasting impact on the organization’s identity and success.</p><p>The NBA.com survey placing Paul atop the list of potential future head coaches only reinforces what many have observed throughout his career: his basketball IQ and leadership are elite.</p><p>Trailing Paul in the poll were Mike Conley (Minnesota Timberwolves) and T.J. McConnell (Indiana Pacers) at 17% each, followed by Fred VanVleet (Houston Rockets, 13%) and Garrett Temple (Toronto Raptors, 10%).</p><p>Now back with the Clippers, Paul’s presence extends beyond the stat sheet.</p><p>He’s already serving as a mentor and on-court extension of head coach Tyronn Lue, guiding a Clippers team with championship aspirations. And while his playing career continues to defy time, it’s becoming increasingly clear that once the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-chris-paul-nba-future-amid-retirement-rumors">“Point God” finally hangs up his jersey</a>, his next chapter may unfold from the sidelines, clipboard in hand, leading once again.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

NBA executives envision Clippers’ Chris Paul becoming a coach

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-bet-jeremiah-fears-replacing-chris-paul');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Pelicans bet on Jeremiah Fears finally replacing Chris Paul');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Why-Pelicans-bet-on-Jeremiah-Fears-finally-replacing-Chris-Paul.jpg"></figure><h1>Why Pelicans bet on Jeremiah Fears finally replacing Chris Paul</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T09:34:46-07:00">September 12th, 9:34am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T09:34:46-07:00">September 12th, 9:34am</time><address><a>Chris Dodson</a>Chris Dodson is a Memphis Grizzlies beat reporter for ClutchPoints who has also covered the New Orleans Pelicans. He has covered Louisiana high school and college basketball in spurts for over a decade. A basketball lifer from the bayou, his gumbo-stirring form matches his elbow jumper celebrations. Fast enough for varsity hoops, tall enough for a soccer scholarship. He has words and will travel, just not on the court.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>A void has lingered over the Crescent City like a phantom limb, a persistent ache of what once was when Chris Paul was directing traffic on Poydras Street’s main court. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/pelicans-news-new-orleans-espns-f-grade-2025-offseason">New Orleans Pelicans have wandered</a> through a point guard wilderness for the last 14 seasons, cycling through temporary solutions not quite up to the future Hall of Famer’s standard. That is why Joe Dumars decided the foundation of the next era would be <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/new-orleans-pelicans-biggest-jeremiah-fears-concern-2025-nba-summer-league">built with Jeremiah Fears.</a></p><p>The franchise’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6622535/2025/09/12/pelicans-joe-dumars-opening-night-roster/" rel="noopener">search for a floor general</a> to help Zion Williamson has been a series of fleeting experiments (Rajon Rondo/CJ McCollum), injuries (Dejounte Murray/Lonzo Ball), and unmet potential (Dyson Daniels/Kira Lewis Jr). Jrue Holiday was once hyped up as an NBA MVP candidate. Still, the Pelicans rolled the dice once again with the 2025 NBA Draft’s seventh overall pick, selecting the youngest point guard in the prospect pool.</p><p>Thankfully, Fears understands the assignment by all accounts. After talking with a handful of college coaches who schemed against the Oklahoma Sooners last season, several league sources who strolled through the combine, and then following the Summer League experience closely, one thing is clear: The 18-year-old rookie will earn respect from the locker room in a way that sounds similar to Chris Paul’s coming-of-age process.</p><p>In fact, constant communication has been the easiest and most necessary adjustment since joining the Pelicans.</p><p>“I’m just continuing to be vocal,” Fears told ClutchPoints. “You’ve got to lead as a point guard, especially in the NBA, so just continuing to be vocal while trying to learn every single game. Learning my teammates and what positions and spots they like to be in, then trying to put them in those positions.”</p><p>Everyone understands that carrying the weight of postseason expectations while learning to navigate the complexities of professional basketball will be a challenge. Still, as the floor general, leadership is non-negotiable, and Fears is embracing the opportunity to fill in for Dejounte Murray to start the season. That is why the summer’s learning curve has gone far beyond on-court development.</p><p>Chris Paul does not play when it comes to the pregame routine or general readiness to hoop all season. Fears has embraced the professional lifestyle changes required at the NBA level, from the weight room to the kitchen. Questions about the favorite culinary cheat-day treats got a healthy laugh.</p><p>“(I just) eat the right stuff,” explained Fears. “I’m asking the nutritionist about the right stuff to put in your body, down to the calorie intake. It’s about taking your daily vitamins, the recovery shakes, and smoothies.”</p><p>If nothing else, Fears knows how to serve up a delicious answer for the fans. He should help bring a little extra youthful flavor to a locker room as well.</p><h2><b>Jeremiah Fears finding answers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Pelicans-news-Jeremiah-Fears-fuels-hype-extremely-bold-prediction.jpg"><figcaption>© Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The adjustment period was rough on the rookie initially, as Fears went 9-of-33 (2-of-11 3PA) with ten turnovers in the first two NBA Las Vegas Summer League games. Those mistakes were barely worth mentioning in the postgame press scrums. Seeing the floor as much as possible and figuring things out on the fly were more important for the Pelicans.</p><p>Pelicans coach Corey Brewer emphasized that the rookie’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsgrzAavFLQ" rel="noopener">improvement was evident</a> from game to game.</p><p>“His decision-making got a lot better (in Las Vegas),” Brewer noted. “From the first two games to the last game, he made a lot better reads. He got guys open shots and is only going to continue to get better. He is only 18 years old, but he made some plays for us.”</p><p>Fears agreed after the last loss, detailing the lessons learned before heading home.</p><p>“It’s learning when to pick your spots, when to take your shot. Got to get your teammates involved. Getting them involved early is going to help you and the team as well,” Fears began. “Really, learning guys are a lot more athletic. So, where to get it off the backboard, how high to get it, to give the ball a better chance to go in.”</p><p>Despite the learning curve, Brewer expressed confidence in how far along Fears is on the expected developmental trajectory.</p><p>“By game 40 or 50 next year,” Brewer predicted, “(Fears) is going to be a totally different player.”</p><p>That work starts well before the formal training camp, according to Brewer.</p><p>“(Fears is) getting better every game. He is learning,” Brewer stressed to ClutchPoints. “He has got to learn how to handle pressure better. It is the little things, but he is going to get better and better this summer. He can look at all the film from all those (NBA Summer League) games and see what he needs to work on.”</p><p>As the Pelicans prepare for the upcoming season, Fears represents a long-term solution to their point guard stability concerns. While growing pains are expected, the rookie’s coachability and mature approach to professional development so far suggest the franchise may have finally found someone to fill Chris Paul’s shoes.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Pelicans bet on Jeremiah Fears finally replacing Chris Paul

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/hbcu/chris-paul-brings-hbcu-classic-to-atlanta');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chris Paul brings HBCU Classic to Atlanta');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-Paul.jpg"><figcaption>© Katie Goodale / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Chris Paul brings HBCU Classic to Atlanta</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-04T13:24:09-07:00">September 4th, 1:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-04T13:24:09-07:00">September 4th, 1:24pm</time><address><a>Randall Barnes</a>Randall Barnes is a Fall 2019 Graduate of Fort Valley State University, an HBCU (Historically Black College or University) in Fort Valley, Georgia, where he majored in Media Studies. He is the Founder of HBCU Pulse, a multimedia outlet with the mission to tell the authentic stories of HBCU Life via traditional, digital and social media outlets to amplify our voice. He is also the host of HBCU Pulse Radio, which can be heard on SiriusXM Channel 142 HBCU Fridays at 5 p.m. EST and wherever you get your podcasts.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">HBCU</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>New Los Angeles Clippers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/hbcu/why-chris-paul-should-consider-coaching-an-hbcu-in-retirement">guard Chris Paul is known for his HBCU philanthropy</a>, and his latest move is set to give an amazing platform to several HBCU programs this Fall. The Chris Paul HBCU Classic, <a href="https://www.hoophall.com/news/chris-paul-family-foundation-and-naismith-basketball-hall-of-fame-announce-field-of-teams-for-2025-chris-paul-hbcu-classic-on-de/" rel="noopener">in partnership with</a> the Naismith Memorial Hall Of Fame, is moving to Atlanta and will be held on December 18th-19th.</p><p>Chris Paul talked about the upcoming classic, saying, “As the support for HBCU basketball continues to grow, I’m excited to provide this year’s teams an opportunity to showcase their talent at the Gateway Center in Atlanta. The HBCU Classic allows these players and their schools to receive their well-deserved recognition on a national platform. I am grateful for the commitment that the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and our partners have shown in supporting the development of HBCU Basketball.”</p><p>“Chris Paul’s dedication to elevating HBCU student-athletes is both inspiring and impactful. The Basketball Hall of Fame is proud to stand alongside him in creating meaningful opportunities for these student-athletes,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, in a statement. “We look forward to bringing all eight teams and their fans together under one roof at the Gateway Center in Atlanta for the first time this December.”</p><p>The Classic is set<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/chris-paul-creates-cp3-classic-a-fusion-of-hbcu-aau-culture"> to feature several contending HBCU teams</a> from the SWAC, MEAC, SIAC, CIAA, and Hampton from the CAA. The coaches weighed in on the matchup in the statement released by the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame</p><p>“It’s an incredible honor to compete in the Chris Paul HBCU Classic. This event is bigger than basketball—it’s a celebration of our culture, our history, and our future. Our guys are fired up to represent Hampton University on a national stage and be part of something that brings real pride to the HBCU community,” said Hampton University’s Ivan Thomas.</p><p>“This is our second time playing in this event. It’s always great to highlight HBCU talent on a national stage,” said Jackson State’s Mo Williams</p><p>“It’s an honor and a privilege to be chosen for the CP3 Classic again. This is a tremendous field, and we put our undefeated record on the line in this event. Looking forward to the challenge against great competition from the SWAC,” said Norfolk State’s Robert Jones.</p><p>“We’re extremely excited and honored to be a part of the Chris Paul HBCU Classic. This event is a tremendous opportunity to showcase the tradition and talent of HBCU basketball on a national stage. Matched up against two premier HBCU programs in Norfolk State and Hampton University, our program is grateful for the chance to compete in these high-profile games, we look forward to representing Grambling State and the Southwestern Athletic Conference with pride and excellence,” said Grambling State’s Patrick Crarey II.</p><p>“We’re pumped to be part of the Chris Paul HBCU Classic. It’s an amazing opportunity to showcase our program, represent Fayetteville State, and be part of something bigger than the game. Events like this shine a light on HBCU talent, and we’re grateful to be included,” said Fayetteville State’s Devin Hoehn.</p><p>“The Chris Paul HBCU Classic was more than just a game — it was an unforgettable experience. We were treated with incredible hospitality, and the national exposure our players received was truly invaluable. This platform gave our student-athletes the opportunity to showcase their talents on a major stage, and for that, we’re deeply thankful,” said Lincoln University of Pennsylvania’s Julius Hodge.</p><p>“Playing in the Chris Paul Classic is a blessing for our program. It gives our student-athletes a big stage, elite competition, and a chance to represent HBCUs the right way. We’re grateful to Chris Paul for his vision and investment in our kids,” says Morehouse College’s Larry Dixon.</p><p>“The Chris Paul Classic reflects everything we believe in—competition, character, and community. Our student-athletes will leave better because of the mentorship, visibility, and relationships this event provides. I’m thankful to Chris Paul and everyone involved for continuing to invest in HBCU programs,” said Clark Atlanta’s Alfred Jordan.</p><p><b>The schedule of games is below:</b></p><figure class="op-interactive"><table><thead><tr><td>Date</td><td>Time (ET)</td><td>Matchup</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><b>Thursday, December 18</b></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>11:00 AM</td><td>Clark Atlanta vs. Lincoln (PA)</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>1:30 PM</td><td>Fayetteville State vs. Morehouse</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>5:00 PM</td><td>Jackson State vs. Hampton</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>7:30 PM</td><td>Grambling State vs. Norfolk State</td></tr><tr><td><b>Friday, December 19</b></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td></td><td>11:00 AM</td><td>Lincoln (PA) vs. Morehouse</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>1:30 PM</td><td>Clark Atlanta vs. Fayetteville State</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>5:00 PM</td><td>Hampton vs. Grambling State</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>7:30 PM</td><td>Jackson State vs. Norfolk State</td></tr></tbody></table></figure><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chris Paul brings HBCU Classic to Atlanta

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/wnba/golden-state-valkyries/valkyries-news-veronica-burton-draws-chris-paul-comparisons-natalie-nakase');   ga('set', 'title', 'Valkyries’ Veronica Burton draws Chris Paul comparisons from Natalie Nakase');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Valkyries-News-Veronica-Burton-draws-Chris-Paul-comparisons-from-Natalie-Nakase.jpg"></figure><h1>Valkyries’ Veronica Burton draws Chris Paul comparisons from Natalie Nakase</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-22T19:24:08-07:00">August 22nd, 7:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-22T19:24:08-07:00">August 22nd, 7:24pm</time><address><a href="http://kenzofukuda.com">Kenzo Fukuda</a>Kenzo Fukuda (he/him) is a Japanese and Chinese American journalist and writer born and raised in San Francisco, CA. He is in his first season as the Golden State Valkyries and Warriors beat reporter after three seasons of covering Cal Bears basketball. Kenzo is also an avid filmmaker and holds extensive knowledge of basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Valkyries point guard <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wnba/golden-state-valkyries/valkyries-news-mip-frontrunner-veronica-burton-wnba-history-again">Veronica Burton has exceeded all expectations</a> this season, including those of Natalie Nakase, as the Golden State Valkyries head coach told reporters ahead of their matchup with the Phoenix Mercury. That’s no easy feat, considering the talent Nakase has been around includes players like A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum, as well as notable NBA players from her days on the Los Angeles Clippers coaching staff.</p><p>And in the same press conference, Nakase compared Burton’s recent string of top-tier point guard play to the “Point God” himself, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-chris-paul-agree-to-deal-1-year-contract-in-free-agency">Chris Paul, who returned to the Clippers</a> this past offseason.</p><p>“She’s had multiple games of double-digit assists and zero turnovers. That’s the Chris Paul era of me when I was with the Clippers,” Nakase stated.</p><p>“We would always challenge each other like, ‘Okay, let’s see how many assists you can get,’ but zero turnovers was a special element of being a point guard. And so, we constantly challenged her that turnovers was our [team’s] problem, right? With [Burton] leading us in that type of stat of 14 assists, zero turnovers, especially against a team like Phoenix. They are top in defense, so credit to her to always take on the challenge of what this team needs and what we need in order to win.”</p><p>Only four players have recorded a double-digit assist, zero turnover, line this season, with Natasha Cloud, Courtney Williams, and Leila Lecan being the other players in the club with Burton. But what separates Burton from her counterparts is that she is the only player to do so multiple times, having done so three times.</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Whats-behind-Burton-s-MIP-leap-this-season.jpg"><figcaption>Eakin Howard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h2>What’s behind Burton’s MIP leap this season?</h2><p>Burton’s floor general, CP3-esque play this season is a big reason why the 24-year-old guard is a frontrunner for the Most Improved Player award. And a big question regarding Burton’s big leap this season is how and why.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wnba/phoenix-mercury/mercury-news-nate-tibbetts-nsw-reality-check-aces-blowout">Mercury head coach Nate Tibbets</a>, whose team was on the receiving end of Burton’s turnover-free playmaking, believes the coaching staff has played a big part in her <a href="https://x.com/HaydenCilley/status/1959049772154986755" rel="noopener">growth this season</a>.</p><p>“I’ve been very impressed with her growth from last year to this year,” Tibbets told reporters in his pre-game press conference.</p><p>“The coaching staff has done a great job of putting the ball in her hands and positions to be successful. Putting the ball in her hands, putting her in situations to be successful, and she’s taken advantage of it. She’s playing with a ton of confidence, she gets downhill, she gets to the free-throw line, she guards at a high level.”</p><p>It’s a sentiment that echoes Nakase’s perspective. The Valkyries’ coach has emphasized all season long that Burton made the most out of the opportunity presented to her after the team selected her in the expansion draft. Burton reported to Nakase and the Valkyries well before training camp, which impressed the first-year head coach right from the get-go. But beyond the hard work Burton’s done on the court, Nakase also pointed out that her point guard is a willing learner.</p><p>Burton asks questions after every practice, every film session, and every game. According to her coach, the first thing Burton does when the team gets on the plane during a road trip is her own tape from the previous game so she can identify where she can improve. So in Nakase’s eyes, the answer to Burton’s leap is her 24/7 work ethic.</p><h2>The new focal point of the Valkyries</h2><p>With <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wnba/golden-state-valkyries/3-concerns-after-injury-riddled-valkyries-fall-phoenix">Golden State currently suffering a wave of injuries</a> to many of their key players, they’ve had to figure out on the fly who and where to turn to on offense. And the answer has been Burton, who’s been the Valkyries’ most consistent player all season and has started every single game for the team this season.</p><p>“Now I realize, especially with the last couple of games, she was able to sustain both our offense and defense– she’s our heartbeat. Let’s just be honest,” Nakase stated in the same press conference. “The way she was able to defend multiple players last game, get rebounds, dive on the floor, and be our priority threat, I would say offensively. Getting downhill, getting and-ones, [and] making the right plays.”</p><p>Basketball has a funny way of coming full circle. Nakase first made her inroads into high-level professional basketball coaching when she joined the Lob City-Doc Rivers’ Clippers in 2012. A team built on Paul’s unparalleled point guard prowess. And now, in her first season as a head coach, she may have found a player of similar stature. A point guard who can control the tempo of the game on both sides of the ball.</p><p>And maybe, if she continues at the rate she’s improving, she will be a point guard who can be the focal point of a very good basketball team.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Valkyries’ Veronica Burton draws Chris Paul comparisons from Natalie Nakase

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-buy-sell-bradley-beal-chris-paul-brook-lopez-elevate-past-lakers');   ga('set', 'title', 'Clippers Buy or Sell: Bradley Beal, Chris Paul, Brook Lopez elevate LA past Lakers in West');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Clippers-Buy-or-Sell-Bradley-Beal-Chris-Paul-Brook-Lopez-elevate-LA-past-Lakers-in-West-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Clippers Buy or Sell: Bradley Beal, Chris Paul, Brook Lopez elevate LA past Lakers in West</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-21T10:31:04-07:00">August 21st, 10:31am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-21T10:31:04-07:00">August 21st, 10:31am</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>If there is one team in the Western Conference that is always right in the mix but has failed to get over the hump in recent years, it’s the Los Angeles Clippers. Despite going on a run and making their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance during the shortened 2020-21 season, the Clippers have lost in the first round of the playoffs each of the last three years.</p><p>Steve Ballmer is an active owner in the sense that he is willing to pay any price for his team to win. His <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-steve-ballmer-la-special-offer-intuit-domes-first-nba-playoffs">state-of-the-art facilities and $2 billion Intuit Dome investment</a> prove such.</p><p>Unlike other owners, who try to dictate all the moves their organization makes, Ballmer has instilled a lot of confidence and trust in his leadership to make championship-defining roster decisions.</p><p>This offseason, the Clippers have done just that on the trade market and in free agency.</p><p>While Los Angeles was one of the best defensive teams in the league last season, a staple of Tyronn Lue’s teams through the years, the Clippers found themselves struggling to produce on offense at times outside of James Harden and Kawhi Leonard.</p><p>Between turning the ball over and struggling to find productivity in their frontcourt, it became clear to Ballmer, executive Lawrence Frank, and the front office that it was vital to take big swings this offseason. This was especially true given that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-james-harden-decides-36-3m-option-2025-26-season">Harden declined his player option</a> and Leonard is only under contract for two more years.</p><p>The Clippers understood their two-year timeline entering the offseason, and that is why this franchise’s focus was on adding experience at every position to go all-in on pursuing a championship during the 2025-26 season.</p><p>Although this mindset ended up costing the Clippers key contributors like Norman Powell and Amir Coffey, Ballmer’s team drastically improved with the likes of Bradley Beal, Chris Paul, Brook Lopez, and John Collins. Now, when you look at the Clippers’ roster, there is a lot more firepower than just Harden and Leonard.</p><p>The Oklahoma City Thunder are coming off a championship and may still be the best team in the league, but the Clippers have made it clear they, too, are a formidable group that isn’t to be trifled with. Is this finally the year Los Angeles can be rid of their lackluster past and truly cement themselves as a title contender?</p><h2><b>Did the Clippers just become West’s deepest team?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Clippers-veteran-Bradley-Beal.jpg"><figcaption>Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>When evaluating the last handful of NBA champions, one common denominator sticks out: depth.</p><p>This past season, the Thunder ran the table from start to finish as a young team with a very deep rotation of players at every position. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was obviously their catalyst and the league MVP, but Oklahoma City beat teams in more ways than one.</p><p>As good as some of the starting lineups have been for the NBA’s previous champions, depth has always played an enormous role. This is even more true now, given the parity existing across the league and virtually every organization having All-Star-like talents.</p><p>The NBA has evolved into such a talent-rich league, which is why roster depth and skill at every position outweigh how many superstars a team can pair with one another. If you need an example of this, just look at the Phoenix Suns and the little success they found by choosing Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal as a three-headed monster over role players and key contributors.</p><p>The Clippers recognized their need to spread out skill at every position outside of Harden and Leonard this offseason, which is why the additions Frank and the front office made are vital.</p><p>As a result of Harden’s generosity and taking a slight pay cut, the Clippers were able to sign three key contributors in free agency that all bring a unique set of skills to immediately aid the team’s championship pursuit.</p><p>While still having Harden’s playmaking and Kris Dunn’s defensive tenacity in the backcourt, LA now has <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-chris-paul-signing-for-likely-final-year-draws-perfect-message-from-lawrence-frank">Paul’s leadership</a> and passing on the bench.</p><p>Even though Powell is no longer on the roster as the team’s third go-to scoring option, he is replaced by a three-time All-Star and proven scoring weapon in Beal. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Beal is in a much better situation than he was in Phoenix since he will play freely and be allowed to make decisions with the ball in his hands next to Harden and Leonard.</p><p>Outside of Ivica Zubac, who <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/atlanta-hawks/hawks-news-dyson-daniels-beats-ivica-zubac-most-improved-player-award">took a major step forward last season</a>, the Clippers have struggled to find consistent production in their frontcourt. Lopez gives the Clippers another key defensive big man who also has the ability to knock down perimeter shots, and Collins’ athleticism supplies Los Angeles with an above-the-rim threat they’ve lacked in pick-and-roll sets.</p><p>Not to mention, Collins is a terrific slasher off the ball and is also a very underrated rebounder who quietly ranked inside the top 30 in rebounding during the 2024-25 season.</p><p>In addition to those the Clippers brought in this offseason, all being key veterans who understand their respective roles next to superstar talents, LA still has key factors like Nic Batum, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Derrick Jones Jr. on their bench.</p><p>Ty Lue finally has a legitimate 10- or 11-man rotation he can consistently count on, and all of these players bring a wealth of experience with them to the table.</p><p>While they may be older and could be more susceptible to injuries, the Clippers are definitely right there with the Thunder in terms of having the best depth in the Western Conference.</p><p>Outside of contending at the very top of the standings, the other big question facing the Clippers is whether they have officially killed the “little brother” title and surpassed the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason.</p><h2><b>Are Clippers or Lakers the best team in LA?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/LeBron-James-vs.-Kawhi-Leonard.jpg"><figcaption>Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The goal in Los Angeles, for both the Clippers and Lakers, is to win by any means necessary.</p><p>These are two passionate organizations with very different histories, yet they have been on even ground with one another over the last few seasons. Both teams have been searching for ways to emerge as legitimate title contenders in a crowded Western Conference, and they enter the 2025-26 season as favorites to make the playoffs again as high-seeded teams.</p><p>Unlike the Lakers, who are built around two superstars in LeBron James and Luka Doncic, the Clippers are truly focused on the team-first dynamic of their roster. This ideology has existed previously but has really come to fruition this offseason with former All-Stars and veteran talents joining without egos.</p><p>Paul, who is 40 years old and entering his 21st NBA season, is at peace with the idea of coming off the bench and not playing every game because he believes in what the Clippers have built. Instead of joining another team in free agency and possibly holding a greater role, the future Hall of Famer <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-chris-paul-gets-emotional-in-viral-moment-with-la-fans">wanted to play in Los Angeles</a> because of the team’s opportunity.</p><p>“It was a no-brainer,” Paul said when being reintroduced by the franchise this offseason. “If I’m really honest, I wanted to get back and play here by any means necessary.”</p><p>Although Lopez has started with the Milwaukee Bucks over the last handful of years, winning a championship alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021, he is also at peace with the idea of contributing behind Zubac in his set role.</p><p>As for Beal, the main reason he chose the Clippers over others after securing a buyout from the Suns was because he believes this team has the talent to <a href="https://x.com/tamar_sher/status/1954726332270628972" rel="noopener">win the NBA Finals</a>.</p><p>“I need a ring. I want one bad and I feel like I have a new life of rejuvenation, for sure — a new hunger,” Beal told Tamar Sher of KMOV in St. Louis this summer. “(I am) Excited about the opportunity. New city. New environment, but a hungry environment, too. I’m definitely excited about the opportunity to go win.”</p><p>Each of the Clippers’ new additions keeps talking about how excited they are for the opportunity to play together, and they all have massive smiles on their faces while doing so.</p><p>This team’s chemistry will be at an all-time high entering the 2025-26 season, and Ty Lue is a championship-proven head coach. Between their talent and experience in this league, the Clippers have everything they need to contend for a championship.</p><p>If this group stays healthy, there is no reason why the Clippers can’t be right in the mix with the Thunder, while their cross-city counterparts try and figure out their problems.</p><p><b><i>BUY OR SELL HEADLINE: </i>BUY — The Clippers have more depth, experience, and defensive intensity than the Lakers.</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Clippers Buy or Sell: Bradley Beal, Chris Paul, Brook Lopez elevate LA past Lakers in West

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-chris-pauls-big-non-basketball-goal-before-retiring');   ga('set', 'title', 'Clippers’ Chris Paul’s big non-basketball goal before retiring');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-Paul.jpg"><figcaption>© Katie Goodale / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Clippers’ Chris Paul’s big non-basketball goal before retiring</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-14T20:42:17-07:00">August 14th, 8:42pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-14T20:42:17-07:00">August 14th, 8:42pm</time><address><a>Guillermo Guajardo</a>Guillermo Guajardo is a dynamic sports presenter with experience on various television channels and digital platforms, most recently with A Tiempo.TV. He is also a multidisciplinary artist with 10 years of experience in acting, directing, writing, and hosting. His work in film has been recognized at international festivals, earning awards for both his performances and directorial projects.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Clippers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Veteran player <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-chris-paul-gets-emotional-in-viral-moment-with-la-fans">Chris Paul, who will now suit up for the Los Angeles Clippers</a>, has experienced nearly everything the NBA offers, both on and off the court. The 40-year-old point guard entered the league in 2005 as the fourth overall pick in the Draft by the New Orleans Hornets, winning Rookie of the Year before earning the first 12 All-Star selections. His career has taken him from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to a controversial blocked trade to the Lakers, eventually landing with the Clippers amid the Donald Sterling scandal that paved the way for Steve Ballmer’s record $2 billion purchase of the franchise.</p><p>Paul also made his mark as the NBA Players Association president, guiding the league through labor disputes, the pandemic, and leadership changes. In Phoenix, he helped lead the Suns to the 2021 NBA Finals. Last season, he <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-chris-paul-spurs-nba">played all 82 games with the San Antonio Spurs,</a> mentoring rising star Victor Wembanyama. Over 20 seasons, Paul ranks second all-time in assists and steals, and has earned more than $400 million in salary. He will add to that with a one-year, $3.6 million contract to return to the Clippers.</p><p>Now, on the verge of his 21st season — a milestone only six players have reached — Paul<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jabariyoung/2025/08/14/chris-paul-made-over-400-million-in-the-nba-now-hes-got-a-game-plan-for-retirement/" rel="noopener"> is preparing to launch his post-NBA business strategy.</a> On Thursday, he announced the creation of The Chris Paul Collective (TCPC), an entity that will house his companies, investments, and nonprofit, The Chris Paul Family Foundation. Among its holdings are the snack brand Good Eat’n and the production company Ohh Dip!!! Entertainment, and a minority stake in NWSL club Angel City FC.</p><p>The TCPC portfolio also includes stakes in recovery technology company Hyperice, the Rajasthan Royals cricket team, luxury watch platform WatchBox, and The Soccer Tournament (TST). Former Octagon executive David Schwab will serve as president. The launch coincides with National Black Business Month, aligning with Paul’s support of Black-owned businesses such as Slutty Vegan, Goalsetter, and PlayersTV.</p><p>Another area TCPC is looking to grow is The Playbook Group, a network of youth basketball academies and camps that has developed players like Jayson Tatum, Ja Morant, and Cooper Flagg. The youth sports market is estimated to have $40 billion in annual revenue. Paul sees another opportunity to lift young people up and teach them financial literacy.</p><p>“Most guys in the locker room are talking about cars, music, women, all these different things. We’ve got to normalize talking about finance and money,” Paul said, according to Forbes.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Clippers’ Chris Paul’s big non-basketball goal before retiring

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-chris-paul-details-relationship-with-steve-ballmer-tyronn-lue');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chris Paul details relationship with Clippers’ Steve Ballmer, Tyronn Lue');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-Paul-Steve-Ballmer-Tyronn-Lue-Los-Angeles-Clippers.jpg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><h1>Chris Paul details relationship with Clippers’ Steve Ballmer, Tyronn Lue</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-04T12:00:32-07:00">August 4th, 12:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-04T12:01:27-07:00">August 4th, 12:01pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-James Harden era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his free time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter and Instagram for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Clippers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>INGLEWOOD, CA — The Los Angeles Clippers officially announced Chris Paul’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-chris-paul-opens-up-on-relationship-with-james-harden">return to the franchise</a> this week, with the 20-year NBA star returning to the place he calls home and reuniting with two of the many individuals who were here during his first stint: Tyronn Lue and Steve Ballmer.</p><p>Paul left the Clippers as part of a sign-and-trade back in 2017, but has now <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/why-james-harden-was-superstar-la-clippers-needed">returned eight years later</a> for what he’s hoping is the closing chapter of his NBA career.</p><h2><b>Chris Paul details relationship with Clippers’ Steve Ballmer, Tyronn Lue</b></h2><p>Chris Paul and head coach Tyronn Lue spent the 2013-14 season together, when Paul was the starting point guard for the Clippers and Lue was an assistant coach under then-head coach Doc Rivers.</p><p>During his introductory press conference earlier this week, Paul didn’t have an answer for a question regarding where the Clippers stand in the Western Conference, but did mention how excited he is to play under Lue.</p><p>“I’m gonna tell you, I’m excited to play for T-Lue,” Chris Paul said of Tyronn Lue. “People probably don’t remember T-Lue was my assistant coach when I was here with the Clippers, and we stayed close over the years or whatnot.</p><p>“What makes T-Lue different from a lot of coaches, it’s a lot of great coaches in this league, but T-Lue is one of the co aches that I think teams, you have to prepare for him too. It’s weird being other teams playing against the Clippers, because a lot of times you just scouting, like how do we stop Kawhi [Leonard]? How do we stop this? Just know a lot of team’s respect T-Lue and his ability, so I’m excited to be over here too.”</p><p>When Paul departed the Clippers, he left for the Houston Rockets via a s<a href="https://x.com/TomerAzarly/status/1949977701860901240">ign-and-trade</a> that brought back Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, Montrezl Harrell, and Sam Dekker. In a lot of ways, that deal helped set the table for the Clippers to remain competitive, build an identity, and attract free agent superstar Kawhi Leonard.</p><p>“You know what’s crazy is I actually saw that the other day and I didn’t even think about that,” Paul joked. “That when I left, how everything sort of happened, right? And me not signing as a free agent, I hadn’t thought about that, you know, like it’s just wild.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">I asked Chris Paul about his relationship with James Harden, who he says he’s had conversations with and is looking forward to teaming up with him on the Clippers.</p><p>“We definitely have unfinished business, so we get a chance to see what’s going on here.” <a href="https://t.co/7u6iKljoQf">pic.twitter.com/7u6iKljoQf</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1949977701860901240?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Aside from his being an NBA star, Chris Paul served as President of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) from 2013 to 2021. That covered most of his Clippers tenure and went well into his time with the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder. As President of the NBPA, Paul was often in talks with players and owners around the league, and so remaining in touch with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer despite him leaving wasn’t a surprise.</p><p>“Steve [Ballmer] was amazing then and he’s amazing now,” Paul added. “I don’t know about the rules and all that stuff in the NBA or whatnot. I don’t know what people can know or what don’t know, but we’ve stayed [in touch], texted and communicated and stuff like that. Just because, I mean, I was the president of the union, so there’s other owners around the league I’ve gotten a chance to know. So, just like anybody else, when this place was being built, I was curious. I was curious, so I got a chance to reach out to him last summer and wanted to just see the building.”</p><p>Chris Paul spent the better part of an hour prior to his press conference with members of the media touring through the halls of Intuit Dome, checking out his new team’s locker room, and seeing his No.3 jersey hanging at his locker as well.</p><p>“I’m grateful that he showed me around,” Paul explained. “And so just walking around just now, it’s a total different feeling, right? Last time I walked through here, I was just sort of peeking because I didn’t know if a guy on the current team was here and they’re like, ‘what the hell are you doing.’ So, man, I remember when he first got the team. I remember meeting him and talking to him about his family and his kids, and I asked him how many games he’s going to come to. And one of his kids was playing in high school at the time, and he said that if his kid had a game, he wasn’t coming to our game, right? And I’ll never forget it, because I appreciated that, because that showed how much his family meant to him. More than all of this.”</p><p>In his 20-year NBA career and 1,354 regular season appearances, Chris Paul averaged 17.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 9.2 assists,  and 2.0 steals in 33.7 minutes per game. In 149 playoff appearances, Paul also averaged 20 points, 4.9 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from three.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chris Paul details relationship with Clippers’ Steve Ballmer, Tyronn Lue

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celebrity/chris-paul-reacts-to-barack-obama-saying-he-crossed-him-over');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chris Paul reacts to Barack Obama saying he crossed him over');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Chris-Paul-reacts-to-Barack-Obama-saying-he-crossed-him-over.jpg"></figure><h1>Chris Paul reacts to Barack Obama saying he crossed him over</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-02T12:09:38-07:00">August 2nd, 12:09pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-02T12:09:38-07:00">August 2nd, 12:09pm</time><address><a>Autumn Hawkins</a>Autumn Hawkins is an Associate Entertainment Editor at ClutchPoints. She enjoys writing about music, lifestyle, film, and television. When she's not writing, she is trying the newest makeup trend, reading a romance novel, or planning her next trip. She is also a proud member of the BeyHive.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Celebrity</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Chris Paul reacted to Barack Obama’s accusation that he crossed over the Los Angeles Clippers’ point guard during his birthday celebration.</p><p>“For my 49th birthday, I organized my own little NBA All-Star game,” Obama explained to a group of students via his Obama Foundation. “LeBron [James] came and [Dwyane] Wade, Derrick Rose, and Chris Paul. And so we had three pros and two amateurs on each team. I hit a game winner, man. I hit a three, I crossed over Chris.”</p><p>Everyone in the room began laughing which prompted Obama to respond: “You’re acting like I’m lying. Chris Paul’s a friend of mine. You want me to get him on the phone?” Obama said, as the kids continued to laugh.</p><p>The Clippers point guard responded in the comment section, writing: “If you don’t have the film…it never happened!!”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="instagram-media"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMyHrh9RLoD/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="line-height: 0; padding: 0 0; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div><div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"><div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"><div></div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 24px;"><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div><div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div><p></p></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMyHrh9RLoD/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Obama Foundation (@obamafoundation)</a></p></div></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>In addition to Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Joakim Noah, Bill Russell, and Magic Johnson, were in attendance at the <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=5447171" rel="noopener">birthday celebration</a> for the then-president, according to ESPN. The event was at a gym in Fort McNair that is in close proximity to the White House.</p><p>Obama has always shared his love for basketball as he played the sport in high school and was known for playing when he was in the White House. He took his love for the game into film when he and wife Michelle Obama executive produced Netflix’s Starting 5 docuseries. The limited series followed Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings, Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat, Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2023-24 NBA season.</p><p>Last year, he shared who would be in his <a href="https://thespun.com/nba/barack-obamas-all-time-nba-starting-5-is-going-viral" rel="noopener">personal starting five lineup.</a></p><p>“I’m from Chicago. So MJ, Michael Jordan, at shooting guard,” Obama said.</p><p>Next, he shared where he would put LeBron. “I’d put LeBron at point forward,” he explained. “A bunch of times he’d be bringing up the ball and he’d distributing.”</p><p>“I want a little shooting and a little flair so I’m going to put my friend Steph Curry into the mix because we’re in the three point era and he is the greatest shooter of all time, bar none,” Obama said of Curry.</p><p>“At center, I’m going to put Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon whose game I think translates to today’s game,” Obama noted.</p><p>“This last spot is tough,” he began. “I’ve got to go with Kevin Durant, KD, who may be the most efficient effective scorer in the history of basketball.”</p><p>As for Obama playing basketball, he shared that he is <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ways-to-win/id1733309040" rel="noopener">no longer doing pick-up games.</a></p><p>“I have hung ‘em up,” Obama said on the Ways to Win podcast last year.</p><p>“I played all the way through the presidency,” he said, adding that he last played in November 2016, two months before he left office.</p><p>He recalled that the last time he played it was a memorable game as he pulled out all the stops.</p><p>“Man, I played great that day. I was raining down threes, and had this spin move, finger roll for the win. I was just firing on all cylinders,” he said.</p><p>“At the end of that, I said this is the devil talking, and the next time I play … my Achilles [tendon] is gonna pop, and I’m gonna be in a boot for six months. I’m stopping right now. And I have not played since,” he exclaimed.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chris Paul reacts to Barack Obama saying he crossed him over

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/clippers-news-chris-paul-emotional-granny-watching-games');   ga('set', 'title', 'Clippers’ Chris Paul gets ’emotional’ talking about ‘granny’ watching games');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Free-agent-Chris-Paul.jpg"><figcaption>Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Clippers’ Chris Paul gets ’emotional’ talking about ‘granny’ watching games</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-30T07:44:06-07:00">July 30th, 7:44am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-30T07:44:06-07:00">July 30th, 7:44am</time><address><a>Rishav Bhat</a>Rishav is a seasoned NBA and sports journalist and editor with over seven years of experience working for reputed organizations. A novelist first and foremost, he has written three fiction books. His high threshold of knowledge combined with his writing skills gives him the ability to write uniquely insightful pieces across basketball, soccer, cricket, lawn tennis, eSports, and a variety of other sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Clippers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Chris Paul has made an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-chris-paul-gets-emotional-in-viral-moment-with-la-fans">emotional homecoming to the Los Angeles Clippers</a>. Heading into his 21st season in the NBA, CP3 is already seen as the one of the best point guards in the history of the game.</p><p>And while he may still be searching for his first ring, that is hardly the reason why he continues to show up on the biggest stage. Speaking to Malika Andrews on NBA on ESPN, CP3 explained his love for those around him.</p><p>“Only way that I can sort of remember it, is I seen the people around me. I think that’s what gets me emotional at times. I was just at home in North Carolina, I got a chance to see my uncles and my aunts, our grandparents, they watch every game, every night,” he said, <a href="https://x.com/ESPNNBA/status/1950284359501562306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1950284359501562306%7Ctwgr%5E56118edec753ac968c19d8c923ea9f365bb9e855%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hoopshype.com%2Frumors%2F">before talking about his grandmother.</a></p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"That's what gets me emotional at times. … [My granny] is gonna be up watching every game. … That's why you do this."</p><p>Chris Paul tells <a href="https://twitter.com/malika_andrews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@malika_andrews</a> what drives him to keep playing ❤️ <a href="https://t.co/WWPQ6Awxqk">pic.twitter.com/WWPQ6Awxqk</a></p><p>— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1950284359501562306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The 12-time All-Star revealed that his granny continues to call him after every game. </p><p>“And I still remember, when I came to the Clippers, games would be at 7, I think it’s at 7:30 now. That’s a 10:30 start for my granny. But she is gonna be up watching every game, texting and calling me after every game and that’s why you do this, it’s because of the support,” he said.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-chris-paul-nba-future-amid-retirement-rumors">Paul’s decision to sign for the Clippers</a> stems from a desire to stay closer to his family, who resides in LA. Paul reportedly chose to sign the $3.6 million deal with the Clippers despite garnering interest from plenty of other franchises.</p><p>At the same time, he is joining an extremely talented Clippers roster that includes James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Bradley Beal, and Brook Lopez. However, just like CP3, the Clippers are also looking for their first-ever ring. </p><p>And while he may have accepted a reserve mentorship role, Paul is still capable of consistently contributing. He started all 82 games for the San Antonio Spurs last season, averaging 8.8 points, 7.4 assists, and 3.6 rebounds. </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Clippers’ Chris Paul gets ’emotional’ talking about ‘granny’ watching games

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-chris-pauls-wife-confession-career');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chris Paul’s wife Jada makes confession about Clippers’ star’s ongoing career');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Chris-Paul-at-an-event.jpg"><figcaption>Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Chris Paul’s wife Jada makes confession about Clippers’ star’s ongoing career</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-30T07:18:37-07:00">July 30th, 7:18am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-30T07:18:37-07:00">July 30th, 7:18am</time><address><a>Rishav Bhat</a>Rishav is a seasoned NBA and sports journalist and editor with over seven years of experience working for reputed organizations. A novelist first and foremost, he has written three fiction books. His high threshold of knowledge combined with his writing skills gives him the ability to write uniquely insightful pieces across basketball, soccer, cricket, lawn tennis, eSports, and a variety of other sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Clippers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Clippers are not new to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-chris-paul-nba-future-amid-retirement-rumors">Chris Paul. The 12-time All-Star has joined a franchise he is already familiar with</a>, having played alongside the likes of Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and Chauncey Billups during his first stint with the team.</p><p>However, what’s more important that he is now once again working in the city his family lives in. After all, Paul has stayed away from LA for the past six seasons while his wife Jada, and children Chris Jr. and Camryn remained in the city. </p><p>“I’m going to support him until the wheels fall off. The past years have been hard. But the past two years have been harder than the previous three. He just hates being away from the kids, missing their games and not doing things in real time. This past [season] I traveled a lot more than in [seasons] prior,” Jada told Andscape.</p><p>She continued, claiming that she did not want Paul to regret his choice later, <a href="https://andscape.com/features/its-a-sigh-of-relief-chris-pauls-return-to-los-angeles-more-than-a-clippers-reunion/">but did not feel for him to continue in San Antonio</a>.</p><p>“I told him, ‘This contract [with the Spurs] is not going to change our lives. Be aware that you’re making a choice. You are choosing to do this,’” she said.</p><p>Jada further claimed that she may have taken CP for granted when they lived in LA together during his first stint with the Clippers. </p><p>“I didn’t realize it until he was gone. Like, ‘Oh shoot. I’d love to have him here,’ the emotional support, the physical support. Maybe [he will play longer]. Maybe. As long as his body holds up. I have to keep gluing him at the seams,” she said.</p><p>Paul, who comes back to LA still searching for his first-ever championship, has considerable talent by his side. The new-look Clippers boast of James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Bradley Beal, John Collins, and Brook Lopez. That, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-chris-paul-gets-emotional-in-viral-moment-with-la-fans">a happy Chris Paul now back with his family</a> might actually be what lands them a first-ever championship.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chris Paul’s wife Jada makes confession about Clippers’ star’s ongoing career

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-where-chris-paul-ranks-among-one-and-done-players');   ga('set', 'title', 'Where Chris Paul ranks among Spurs one-and-done players');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Chris-Paul-1.jpg"><figcaption>Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Where Chris Paul ranks among Spurs one-and-done players</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-29T21:32:49-07:00">July 29th, 9:32pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-29T21:32:49-07:00">July 29th, 9:32pm</time><address><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@LedesmaHector">Hector Ledesma</a>Hector Ledesma has been covering the Spurs in San Antonio since 2005, but he has been following them for even longer than that. An award-winning journalist born and raised in San Antonio, Hector has worked across all types of television and radio platforms. His work extends online and through social media (@HectorLedesmaTV) where he continues that work with ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In signing with the Los Angeles Clippers, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/clippers-news-chris-paul-spurs-nba">Chris Paul officially ended his tenure with the San Antonio Spurs</a>. While not one of the biggest deals of NBA free agency, it may help move the needle for an LA squad that’s been among the most active in the league this summer. From a Spurs perspective, Paul’s decision to leave, while not surprising, leads to a unique question about where he ranks in a certain niche within their storied history.</p><p>The soon-to-be 21st-year NBA guard is one of several Hall of Famers and/or big stars who, toward or at the end of their careers, suited up with the Silver and Black for just one season. He’s also one of the few Spurs, period, who’s ever contributed heavily in one year. Here’s a ranking of the five players who had the biggest impact in that short time in San Antonio.</p><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Chris-Paul.jpg"><figcaption>Soobum Im-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h2>The big names that called San Antonio home for a season</h2><p>The last of dominant big man Moses Malone’s 21 ABA/NBA seasons came with the Spurs. Playing just 17 games in 1994-1995, the “Chairman of the Boards” averaged 2.9 points and 2.7 rebounds that year.</p><p>The Spurs signed Tracy McGrady in April of 2013, just before those playoffs. Having spent that season in China, the Hall of Fame forward played sparingly in SA’s march to a Finals which they lost to the Miami Heat. McGrady didn’t record a point in what would prove his final taste of the NBA.</p><p>Somewhat similar to “T-Mac,” the Spurs had added Glenn Robinson in April of 2005. The difference is that the “Big Dog” did contribute, averaging 10 points through his nine regular season games. His production dipped substantially (3.8 points, 1.6 rebounds per contest) in a playoff that saw <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/tim-duncan-reveals-which-of-his-spurs-hall-of-fame-teammates-hed-start-bench-and-cut">Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker</a> lead the franchise to its third championship in seven seasons.</p><p>Announced for induction into the Naismith Hall of Fame during the 2018 Final Four in San Antonio, Maurice Cheeks spent a little more than half the 1989-’90 season near the River Walk. Averaging 10.9 points and six assists per night, the then 33-year-old point guard was dealt to the New York Knicks that February for the much younger Rod Strickland. The Spurs would set the biggest single-season turnaround in league history at the time.</p><p>Other players who once starred in the NBA or college and played one (or part of a) season for the Spurs include multiple household names at point guard: Nick Van Exel, Damon Stoudemire, Andre Miller, T.J. Ford, and Charlie Ward.</p><p>David West, David Lee, Drew Gooden, and Ron Mercer are among notables who spent one full season or less in San Antonio, as did future NBA coaches Mike D’Antoni and John Lucas.</p><h2>Ranking the Spurs’ top five one-year players</h2><p><b>Honorable mention: Hedo Türkoğlu</b></p><p>While Hedo Türkoğlu played well in his lone season for the Spurs, it’s fair to say they expected more, and had he been better, the team might’ve advanced toward a repeat title. A campaign that ended in the Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers, thanks largely to Derek Fisher’s famed 0.4 miracle, saw Türkoğlu average just 7.7 points in starting every game in those playoffs. During the 2003-04 regular season, the man who would eventually make his mark with the Orlando Magic scored 9.2 per 80 contests.</p><p><b>5. Vinnie Johnson</b></p><p>In standing out with the Detroit Pistons for the better part of his 13 years in the NBA (including a title-clinching shot in 1990), Vinnie Johnson ended his career with the Spurs.</p><p>The “Microwave” played 60 games, starting 23, in 1991-92 following arthroscopic knee surgery in training camp. Led by a young David Robinson, the Spurs teams were then locks to make the playoffs. Even though a thumb injury ended the “Admirals” season prematurely, the championship tested Johnson helped the squad qualify for the postseason, averaging eight points during both the season and a very short playoff run.</p><p><b>4. Speedy Claxton</b></p><p>There’s an argument that Speedy Claxton should rank higher because of his play in a championship-clinching game and in the 2003 NBA Finals.</p><p>Claxton closed out Game 6 versus the New Jersey Nets at point guard, playing just one less minute than the future Hall of Famer Parker that night. His 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting and four assists proved big in an 88-77 victory that led to the franchise’s second title. He outscored Parker by nine that night and by seven in Game 4 of that series.</p><p>Even still, there’s reason to believe that Duncan, in the midst of a second straight league MVP season, would’ve catapulted the Spurs regardless. Plus, Claxton averaged around five points per game that season in only 30 regular-season games and the playoffs.</p><p><b>3. Chris Paul</b></p><p>The Spurs won 12 more contests in 2024-25 than they did the year <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-guard-chris-pauls-candid-take-on-his-future-amid-possible-retirement">before Paul arrived</a>. That, despite the fact that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-victor-wembanyamas-2-word-text-to-teammates">Victor Wembanyama missed almost half the season</a> and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-deaaron-fox-stunning-reality-looming-surgery">De’Aaron Fox played in only 17 games</a> after a trade-deadline deal. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/spurs-stephon-castle-motivating-factor-behind-rookie-year-season">Stephon Castle proved a major reason</a> why, but so did Paul.</p><p>“CP-3” averaged nearly nine points and seven and a half assists in starting all 82 games for the Silver and Black. He put Wemby in better spots, made the game easier for his young teammates, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/san-antonio-spurs/spurs-news-chris-paul-endorsement-san-antonio-teammates">his leadership proved especially vital</a> with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/why-gregg-popovich-stands-atop-mount-rushmore-nba-coaches">Gregg Popovich’s absence</a>.</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0kpqo47o5E" rel="noopener">Paul hit several big shots</a> down the stretch for a San Antonio squad that’s learning to win these days. It’s become the hallmark through a career that now figures to end in Los Angeles.</p><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><p><b>2. Dominique Wilkins</b></p><p>At 36 years old and after having spent a season playing in Greece, Dominique Wilkins was set to add scoring punch to the Spurs’ bench. Because of significant injuries to Robinson, Sean Elliott, and Chuck Person, the “Human Highlight Film” ended up leading the team in scoring.</p><p>Wilkins’ place on a team that directly led to Duncan via a spot in the NBA lottery isn’t the only notable factor here. Granted, the 1996-97 Spurs finished with a 20-62 record that still stands as the worst in franchise history, but his 18.2 points per contest were six more than any Spur who played at least half that season. He also finished second on the squad in rebounding.</p><p>The Spurs’ sustained success at the highest level blurs their definition of impact. ‘Nique’s effect on that unit is undeniable, though.</p><p><b>1. Derek Anderson</b></p><p>As Robinson was entering the twilight of his career and before Parker and Ginobili arrived, there was Derek Anderson. For one season, the former Kentucky Wildcat star played Robin to Duncan’s Batman so well that those Spurs beat out the Shaquille O’Neal/Kobe Bryant defending champion Lakers for the best record in the NBA.</p><p>Anderson averaged 15.5 points in 35 minutes (both second only to Duncan) and ranked among the Spurs leaders in assists in 2000-01. He sustained a severe shoulder injury in Game 1 of the second round against the Dallas Mavericks. Though San Antonio won that series in five games, without a healthy Anderson, they were swept by the Lakers. Anderson returned but wasn’t nearly 100% in the final two games of those Western Conference Finals.</p><p>On their way to the second title of a three-peat, LA would’ve almost certainly have beaten those Spurs with a healthy Anderson. It would’ve been a more competitive series, though. More importantly, largely forgotten because of the franchise’s other successes, Anderson’s role on that team shouldn’t be.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Where Chris Paul ranks among Spurs one-and-done players

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-chris-paul-gets-emotional-in-viral-moment-with-la-fans');   ga('set', 'title', 'Chris Paul gets emotional in viral moment with Clippers fans');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Chris-Paul-Los-Angeles-Clippers-viral.jpeg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><h1>Chris Paul gets emotional in viral moment with Clippers fans</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-29T10:51:26-07:00">July 29th, 10:51am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-29T10:52:19-07:00">July 29th, 10:52am</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his ninth season as the LA Clippers beat writer and NBA reporter for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-James Harden era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers as well as coast-to-coast coverage of the NBA.In his free time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter and Instagram for all Clippers content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Clippers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Clippers officially introduced Chris Paul and his return to the franchise on Monday afternoon inside Intuit Dome. A press conference with members of the media provided a lot of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-chris-paul-any-means-necessary-message-fans-hyped">clarity on his decision to return</a>.</p><p>A fan event shortly after at Intuit Dome’s, “Court B,” however, quickly brought the emotions out and got the best of Paul.</p><h2><b>Chris Paul gets emotional in viral moment with Clippers fans</b></h2><p>Chris Pauls poke with members of the media for approximately 20 minutes inside the Intuit Dome’s press conference room on Monday afternoon. The 12-time NBA All-Star provided clarity on his decision to return to Los Angeles and the Clippers, calling it a, “no brainer.”</p><p>Shortly after the press conference, a few hundred fans were awaiting Paul’s arrival for a special even with season ticket holders and members of the Swell portion of, “The Wall.”</p><p>Clippers broadcaster Brian Sieman introduced Chris Paul, citing the Clippers 14 consecutive winning seasons and tracing the start of it back to Paul’s arrival via trade back in 2011.</p><p>Chris Paul walked up on stage, but was unable to stay much of anything for over a minute as fans gave Paul a loud standing ovation. And one that was done, they erupted again in a, “CP3!” chant.</p><p><a href="https://x.com/TomerAzarly/status/1949971495452627380">Paul became visibly emotional</a> as Brian Sieman stepped back and gave the point guard his heartfelt moment with fans who watched him a decade ago.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Chris Paul got emotional upon receiving a loud and lengthy ovation from Clippers fans here at Intuit Dome. <a href="https://t.co/IJb7pIJSZJ">pic.twitter.com/IJb7pIJSZJ</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1949971495452627380?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“First of all, thank y’all” Paul said at the fan event. “Thank y’all so much. I definitely didn’t know anybody was going to be here, let alone this many people.”</p><p>“It’s not just family. I’m one of those people where community is really important. I said this before, and I love when I get a chance to do it. Don’t get it twisted, every game y’all see, I’m going to put my heart into that game every night. But the life outside of the game, the community, your friends, your family. Actually being able to show up. Being able to show up for your friends and your community. I realized how important that is to me. I played the game, and I love it, and when you watch me, I play with a different type of chip on my shoulder and a passion. But there’s an emptiness that I was missing. And so I’m excited to really be back here and then to get a chance to play for the Clippers.”</p><p>The upcoming 23025-26 season will be the 21st of Chris Paul’s career, and while that number is significant, Paul says he’s not ruling out potentially playing beyond the upcoming season.</p><p>Paul played six seasons with the LA Clippers, averaging 18.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and 2.2 steals per game in 409 regular season appearances. The guard also averaged 21.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 8.7 assists, and 2.3 steals per game across 53 postseason appearances with the Clippers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
3.3	1.7	4.7	-	1.3

2025-26 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
3.3	1.7	4.7	-	1.3

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