Chris Paul mocks Clippers following LA’s defeat in play-in tournament
At least one former Clipper took pleasure in the Golden State Warriors concluding the LA Clippers’ season during the play-in tournament on Wednesday night.
Following the Clippers’ 126-121 defeat to the Warriors, Chris Paul responded to LA’s season-ending loss in a somewhat petty manner on his Instagram story. He shared a popular meme featuring an individual who claimed to have attended their “biggest haters” funeral to ensure they were truly gone.
In this instance, Paul appeared to be alluding to the Clippers.
View this post on Instagram
He is not the first NBA player to utilize the meme — Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid shared the same image when the team traded Ben Simmons in February 2022.
The future Hall of Famer began the season with the Clippers, where he spent six seasons. He expressed a wish to play his 21st NBA season close to his family, and after signing him, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank referred to Paul as “one of the most impactful players ever to wear a Clippers uniform.”
However, the collaboration was brief. In a surprising turn of events, the Clippers announced in the early hours of December 3 that Paul was no longer part of the team. ESPN’s Shams Charania later reported that Paul and head coach Ty Lue were not communicating.
On December 9, Paul stated he was “at peace with everything” and did not play for another team this season.
LA ultimately traded the 12-time NBA All-Star to the Toronto Raptors at the trade deadline. A few days later, Paul declared his retirement.
In Wednesday’s defeat, LA held a 13-point advantage in the final quarter, but Golden State made a comeback to take the lead for good with 50.4 seconds left — leaving Warriors fans and presumably Paul celebrating.
