Last summer, Chris Paul signed a one-year, $3.6 million contract with the Los Angeles Clippers. Many basketball fans anticipated his return, given how CP3 was part of the Clippers’ legendary Lob City era in the early 2010s.
Despite his rich history with the team, things didn’t go according to plan for either party. The result? Paul was booted from LA. CP3 recently shared the story of how Clipper President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank handled his abrupt exit.
Lawrence Frank Blindsided Chris Paul
In a recent interview with NBA legend Carmelo Anthony, Paul revealed he was caught off guard when Frank suddenly told him that they were kicking him out of the team.
“I hit T-Lue, ‘I’d love to finish my career here,'” Paul shared. “L-Frank, I hit him, said the same thing. Earlier in the season, Lawrence Frank sent me an article about how great my leadership was. … I was extremely grateful. You saw I was emotional when I went back. I knew it was going to be my last year, and I was getting to play in front of my family.”
“I’m still grasping it,” Paul said about getting booted from the Clippers. “Trying to figure out how it got to that. I believe in communication. During training camp, I talked to one of my teammates for a while, and then as soon as I went into the meal room, somebody came and told me they didn’t want me giving players advice.”
“(Lawrence Frank) said (he’ll retire Paul’s jersey in LA) before he sent me home,” Paul revealed. “Before I left the room, I asked him, I was like ‘So L-Frank, you said you were going to get me a meeting with T-Lue, right?’ He said, ‘I’m sorry, I couldn’t do that. Go home.'”
“Lawrence Frank told me I was being a great leader a week before he sent me home” 😬
– Chris Paul on the Clippers sending him home
(🎥 @7PMinBrooklyn / h/t @big_business_ )
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 17, 2026
On Feb. 13, 2026, Paul officially announced his retirement, concluding a lengthy 21 seasons in the NBA. It was a wild rollercoaster ride for Paul this season. He entered the 2025-26 season expecting a proper retirement tour, only to be kicked out of the team.
Before Paul’s supposed retirement tour commenced, he and the Clippers were excited to work together one final time. LA’s front office, particularly Clippers President Frank, showed a lot of love for Paul and the work he has done throughout his career.
As the season started, there was nothing but positivity surrounding Paul, as everyone was riding the sentimental wave of the Point God’s soon-to-be retirement. However, things went south the moment CP3 began acting like the locker room leader.
Paul is known for being quite harsh on his teammates. While seen negatively by some, it’s not uncommon for veterans, especially players at the Caliber of CP3, to be brutally honest with their remarks towards their teammates.
Unfortunately for Paul, this did not sit well with many, especially Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue. With tensions rising behind the scenes, Frank and the rest of the organization made the abrupt decision to let Paul go.
It’s unfortunate that fans never got to witness a full retirement tour from CP3. But, after 21 legendary seasons, Paul will be forever recognized as one of the best point guards in NBA history.
