Chris Paul to return to the Los Angeles Clippers, team announces
Paul, 40, joins as a free agent after spending last season with the San Antonio Spurs. In 2024-2025, he became the first player in NBA history to play in all 82 games in a season while in his 20th year or later.
Commonly regarded as one of the greatest point guards of all time, Paul played perhaps the prime of his career with the Clippers from 2011 to 2017. Teaming up with stars Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, the trio dubbed "Lob City" brought forth the most successful period in team history at that point.
"Chris is one of the most impactful players ever to wear a Clippers uniform and it's appropriate that he returns to the team for this chapter of his career," said President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank. "He wants to be part of the group and we're fortunate to have him back."
The Clippers still failed to reach the Western Conference Finals during those years, despite stellar regular seasons. Ultimately, Paul was traded to the Houston Rockets in 2017, where he teamed up with guard James Harden to lead the team within one game of the NBA Finals in his first season. He later found success with the Phoenix Suns, where he reached the NBA Finals in 2021 before falling to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games.
Paul has also had stints with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors since leaving the Clippers initially. The Wake Forest alum played his first six seasons with the New Orleans Hornets (now known as the Pelicans).
Now, Paul will seek his first title with a roster full of name recognition in Inglewood. Paul joins his former teammate Harden alongside Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac, Ben Simmons, and other new additions made this off-season in John Collins and Bradley Beal.
With the additions made to an already strong roster, the Clippers could be poised to compete for a title, even while playing in the vicious Western Conference. Last year, L.A. took the Denver Nuggets to seven games in the first round of the playoffs, ultimately falling. The Nuggets went on to another seven-game series in the Western Conference Semi-Finals, where they lost to the Thunder, who eventually won the championship.
Paul is likely to come off the bench with this lineup, which could be a boost for the 40-year-old. He averaged more than seven assists per game with the Spurs last season, indicating that he could still be productive even with a team light on scoring options. The Clippers have more players in that department between Harden, Leonard and Beal, meaning that Paul won't need to shoulder a load when it comes to getting a bucket.
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