Valentine’s Day has a funny way of bringing toxic relationships to light.
After Chris Paul announcement his retirement from the NBA on Feb. 13 following his release from the Raptors, scuttling his initial plan to retire after the season, the team that arguably expedited his retirement shared a thank you video on social media. The Clippers, the team whose jersey many fans will associate Paul with in the annals of NBA history, shared a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) after they effectively booted him from the team in December.
The thank you video from the team, posted after midnight ET, features a voiceover from Paul talking about his dreams for the Clippers cut in with some of his highlights, and ends with the words ‘FOREVER A LEGEND. THANK YOU, CP3.’
Paul, of course, established himself as a franchise icon as part of the Lob City Clippers alongside Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. But what was meant to be his swan song was cut short when he was effectively sent home from the team Dec. 3. At the time, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said in a statement:
‘Chris is a legendary Clipper who has had a historic career. I want to make one thing very clear. No one is blaming Chris for our underperformance. I accept responsibility for the record we have right now. There are a lot of reasons why we’ve struggled. We’re grateful for the impact Chris has made on the franchise.’
It was later reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania Paul wasn’t on speaking terms with Clippers coach Tyronn Lue ahead of the ousting.
Paul was traded to the Raptors with the Brooklyn Nets as a third trade partner on Feb. 5 ahead of the NBA trade deadline. After he was waived by Toronto on Feb. 13, he announced his retirement at 40 years old and after 21 seasons.