Rumors about the Los Angeles Clippers' decision to sever ties from Chris Paul this season continue to swirl. One of them surfaced regarding their perception of Paul's leadership during a party.
The Clippers stunned the NBA world by sending Paul home in early-December. The veteran guard saw his time with the team where he first spent six seasons from 2011 to 2017 last just 16 games into his second stint.
And from the looks of it, his leadership approach to holding the team accountable conflicted with what Los Angeles wanted. According to ESPN insider Ramona Shelburne, Paul tried to put together meetings and events where the team would meet up to hold everyone and himself accountable. However, all of that didn't go according to plan.
“It was the kind of thing Paul would routinely do on other teams. But the Clippers' locker room, full of veteran players and coaches, is not particularly active, even after wins, sources said. So Paul's attempt to encourage dialogue fell flat,” Shelburne wrote.
“A few nights later, after a win over New Orleans, Paul and his wife hosted a Halloween party for players and staffers in a club at the Intuit Dome. It was meant as a culture-building exercise, and afterward Frank and others commended Paul for doing it, despite only a handful of players attending, sources said. Then the Clippers didn't win a game for almost two weeks.”
What lies ahead for Clippers after Chris Paul controversy
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Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) reacts with guard James Harden (1) and forward Nicolas Batum (33) after a play during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center.
Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
It was a brutal divorce for Chris Paul to have from the Clippers. He enjoyed some of his best years with the franchise, giving them playoff relevancy while being a consistent All-Star player for them. Unfortunately, the reunion just didn't work out for various reasons.
In the meantime, Los Angeles must figure out its issues amid a poor start to the 2025-26 season. The team has a 6-20 record on the season, the second worst in the Western Conference standings. They are even with the Sacramento Kings while trailing the Dallas Mavericks by 3.5 games and Portland Trail Blazers by four games.
The Clippers will hope to return to the win column in their next matchup, being on the road. They face the NBA-best Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. ET.