The Los Angeles Clippers suffered a heartbreaking 126-121 loss at the hands of the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, cementing their elimination from the postseason. While many will be grieving the loss, Chris Paul took this opportunity to troll his former club.
After the game, Chris Paul took to his social media to fire a shot at the Clippers. By simply posting the iconic image of popular hip-hop artist Big Fendi posing at the funeral of one of his haters, Paul sent a very clear message across to the organization.
The 2025-26 season was supposed to mark Chris Paul’s long-awaited return to the Los Angeles Clippers. As a franchise legend, Paul was greatly responsible for the team’s rapidly growing fan base. However, to repay his efforts, the Clippers treated him in an unsavory manner.
Less than 25 games into his farewell tour, the Clippers announced that they would be parting with the veteran. He was eventually traded to the Toronto Raptors at the February trade deadline and was waived shortly after.
Paul announced his retirement immediately after being waived, an unfortunate end to a spectacular NBA career. In light of how the Clippers treated their franchise legend, Chris Paul’s social media post to troll the franchise seems perfectly justified.
Chris Paul’s Departure Helped The Clippers
While Los Angeles’ approach to severing ties with Chris Paul before eventually parting with him was crude, his departure did have a relatively positive impact on the team.
At the time that Paul played his last game for the Clippers this season, L.A. posted a 5-16 record. Truth be told, Los Angeles’ poor form continued, as they dropped down further to 6-21 on the season. Still, at this point, the Clippers started turning things around.
Despite being 15 games below .500, the Clippers clawed their way back into the play-in picture. Given that the team ended the season with a 42-40 record, their 36-19 run after their abysmal start is quite inspiring.
Although this gradual shift cannot be attributed purely to Chris Paul’s removal from the rotation, there is some reason to believe that it may have played a role. When considering the reports suggesting that Paul’s growing authority and influence negatively impacted the team’s structure, the risk of retaining him may have outweighed the positives.
At 40, Paul was far from being at his best. Given that he was expected to play in a limited capacity, the guard only averaged 2.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game in 16 appearances this season.
It is apparent that Chris Paul was not a contributor on the floor, but it can be argued that his leadership could have proven worthwhile. In light of how the Clippers crumbled late in their matchup against the Warriors, some would suggest that having an experienced veteran may have been useful in navigating these challenging situations.
