Future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul has had an interesting career, spending time with seven different franchises through 20 years in the NBA. Of course, he most notably spent six years with the LA Clippers, where he cemented himself as arguably the greatest player in franchise history and one of the best point guards to ever play the game.
However, Paul had a rocky exit from the Clippers in the 2017 offseason, leaving to join superstar guard James Harden and the Houston Rockets. Things in LA were getting weird, as Paul reportedly told owner Steve Ballmer that head coach Doc Rivers contributed to his exit, but has also said that it was simply "time for a change."
People forget how good prime Chris Paul was pic.twitter.com/5NhrIZfpTI
— Real Sports (@realapp_) August 6, 2025
Paul was an incredible player for the Clippers, finishing top seven in NBA MVP voting five times during his six-year tenure, while also making five All-NBA Teams, six All-Defensive First Teams, and five All-Star appearances. However, despite these individual accolades and a great team around him, Paul and the Clippers never saw any postseason success, as they did not even make a Western Conference Finals appearance.
San Antonio Spurs point guard Chris Paul (3)
Apr 6, 2025; Portland, Oregon, USA; San Antonio Spurs point guard Chris Paul (3) is introduced before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn Images / Soobum Im-Imagn Images
After being away for eight seasons, and on the brink of retirement, Paul has officially returned to the Clippers for potentially his last year in the NBA. The 40-year-old legend is returning home, and it could not be a bigger deal.
After his return, Paul opened up about how Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has been "amazing" through him leaving the Clippers in 2017, and now returning in 2025.
"That when I left, how everything sort of happened, right? And me not signing as a free agent, I hadn’t thought about that, you know, like it’s just wild. But Steve [Ballmer] was amazing then, amazing now," Paul said. "I don’t know about the rules and all that stuff in the NBA or whatnot. I don’t know what people can know or what don’t know, but we’ve stayed ...text and communicate and stuff like that."
At his introductory presser today, I asked Chris Paul about that trade from LA to Houston eight years ago and his relationship with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. “Steve was amazing then, been amazing now,” Paul said.
Chris Paul’s full answer (with subtitles): pic.twitter.com/m3vJrthB26
— Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) July 29, 2025
Paul also revealed that he reached out to Ballmer last season about seeing the Intuit Dome and the Clippers' state-of-the-art facilities.
"So, just like anybody else, when this place was being built, I was curious. I was curious, so I got a chance to reach out to him last summer and wanted to just see the building," Paul continued. "So, I’m grateful that he showed me around. And so just walking around just now, it’s a totally different feeling, right? Last time I walked through here, I was just sort of peeking because I didn’t know if a guy on the current team was here, and they like, ‘what the hell are you doing?’ "
LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer
Oct 14, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer reacts in the game against the Dallas Mavericks during the first half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
Paul continued to talk about how he felt when Ballmer first bought the team, and how they have had a close relationship since then.
"So, man, I remember when he first got the team. I remember meeting him and talking to him about his family and his kids, and I asked him how many games he’s going to come to. And one of his kids was playing in high school at the time, and he said that if his kid had a game, he wasn’t coming to our game, right? And I’ll never forget it, because I appreciated that, because that showed how much his family meant to him more than all of this," Paul concluded.