Most of the internet was abuzz with nostalgic fervor when Draymond Green and Stephen Curry turned back the clock to lead the Golden State Warriors on a 13-point fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 126-121 in the Play-In Tournament on Wednesday night.
Chris Paul was overcome by a different emotion: Schadenfreude.
After the Clippers’ loss, Paul posted a meme associated with attending a hater’s funeral to his Instagram Story, and it quickly spread like wildfire:
Paul’s storied career as an all-time point guard came to a clunky end because of the Clippers.
Quite literally overnight last December, the Clippers “sent home” Paul and announced he would no longer be with the team. ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk received a text from Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank confirming the team was “parting ways with Chris” and stating, “No one is blaming Chris for our underperformance.”
At the time, the Clippers were 5-16 and riding a five-game losing streak.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Paul was not “on speaking terms” with Clippers head coach Ty Lue “for several weeks” before the Clippers ultimately squeezed him out.
“Paul and his leadership style clashed with Lue and the Clippers, according to sources, who told Charania that the 12-time All-Star was vocal in holding management, coaches, and players accountable,” Youngmisuk wrote at the time. “The Clippers felt that Paul’s style had become disruptive, sources told Charania.”
The Clippers traded Paul to the Toronto Raptors as part of a three-team trade on Feb. 4, but Paul never played for the Raptors. Paul played in 16 games for the Clippers this season, but never started, after starting in all 82 games for the San Antonio Spurs the year prior.
Returning to the Clippers, where he previously starred from 2011 to 2017, was supposed to be a fairytale farewell tour for Paul. Instead, Paul announced his retirement on Instagram on Feb. 13.
Paul retired as a 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, nine-time All-Defensive selection, six-time steals champion, and five-time assists champion. He also won two Olympic gold medals and was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in October 2021.