Chris Paul is delighted to be back with the Los Angeles Clippers, but he made it clear he isn’t too happy about a decision that has been made regarding training camp, on The Underground Lounge. When host and former Clippers player Lou Williams brought up how he went to Hawaii for training camp with the team, Paul hilariously called them out.
“Y’all started going to Hawaii when I left, and then they stopped when I came back,” Paul said. “That’s some bulls*** if I’ve ever seen. That’s crazy.”
Paul’s first stint with the Clippers was from 2011-12 to 2016-17. They enjoyed a fair bit of success together, but didn’t come close to winning a title, and ultimately decided to part ways in 2017.
Paul was sent to the Houston Rockets in June, and later that year, the Clippers held training camp in Hawaii for the first time. To be fair to them, this had been announced back in December 2016, so it’s not like the guard had no idea what was going to happen.
The Clippers would hold their training camp in Hawaii for five out of the eight seasons after Paul departed. In the meantime, he was moving from one team to another, as he had spells with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, and, most recently, the San Antonio Spurs.
Paul averaged 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game for the Spurs in 2024-25, his 20th season in the NBA. The Clippers were impressed enough by the 40-year-old’s play that they brought him back on a one-year, $3.6 million deal.
Unfortunately for Paul, the Clippers also decided that they weren’t going to Hawaii this time around. They had played against the Warriors in front of a sellout crowd at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center last year, too, but decided against making the trip.
The Clippers are instead holding training camp at Kaiser Permanente Training Center in Los Angeles in 2025. Paul will have to make do with that.
Chris Paul On His Decision To Sign With The Clippers
While the Clippers will be putting out a pretty good team in the 2025-26 season, that wasn’t the main reason why Paul chose to return. He stated that wanting to be closer to his family played a big part in his making the decision.
“That was the main factor… I grew up around all my family as a kid, right? I did the same things every week, every weekend, every Christmas Eve we did at my great-grandfather’s church, right? We did all those different things at my grandfather’s church.”
“It was wild, the past six years not getting to see my family, you know, and my kids, you know, how quickly they change and how fast they change. And obviously, this is the NASDAQ, Forbes, and everything and everyone’s talking about wealth and money and all these different things, but the most valuable thing that we have is time.”
“And I’ve lost a lot of valuable time. Sacrifice and many people do that throughout their lives, and to each his own, but I knew that you know, this time now with my kids is very valuable. So, I cherish it.”
Paul now gets to be with his family while also being on a team that has aspirations to compete for a title. The Clippers will be led by Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, who are surrounded by a talented supporting cast that includes Bradley Beal, Ivica Zubac, and John Collins.
