The Los Angeles Clippers abruptly cut ties with veteran point guard Chris Paul in a stunning late-night move, releasing the 12-time All-Star in the middle of the team’s current road trip.
Paul made the news public on Wednesday, Dec. 3, in a post to his Instagram stories account: ‘Just Found Out I’m Being Sent Home,’ he wrote, adding a peace sign emoji.
If no other team picks him up, it would be an unexpected end to what Paul, 40, had announced would be his 21st and final NBA season.
The 5-16 Clippers suffered a blowout loss to the Miami Heat on Monday, Dec. 1, and are in Atlanta for a game Wednesday night against the Hawks.
After playing all 82 games last season for the San Antonio Spurs, Paul signed a free agent deal with the Clippers this season.
He had been playing only 14 minutes per game coming off the bench, averaging a career-low 2.9 points and 3.3 assists.
The Clippers later released a statement from team president Lawrence Frank confirming the decision.
‘Chris is a legendary Clipper who has had a historic career,’ the statement read in part. ‘I want to make one thing very clear. No one is blaming Chris for our underperformance. I accept responsibility for the record we have right now. There are a lot of reasons why we’ve struggled. We’re grateful for the impact Chris has made on the franchise.’
After being selected by the New Orleans Hornets with the fourth overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft and winning rookie of the year honors, Paul was traded to the Clippers in December 2011. He spent six seasons with them and was named to five All-Star teams before being traded to Houston at the end of the 2016-2017 season.
In all, Paul has played for seven different teams, returning to the Clippers for his 21st season.
He ranks second to John Stockton on the all-time NBA assists list with 12,552 and second in steals with 2,728. He also ranks 36th in career scoring with 23,058 points. He also is a two-time Olympic gold medalist with Team USA at Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.