At 2:40 AM ET on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, Chris Paul posted five words to his Instagram story that sent shockwaves through the basketball world: "Just Found Out I'm Being Sent Home." With a peace sign emoji, the 40-year-old point guard announced what was supposed to be impossible—the Los Angeles Clippers, a franchise he helped transform into championship contenders, had cut him loose in the middle of the night while the team was on a road trip in Atlanta.
For a player whose college career at Wake Forest set the foundation for a Hall of Fame trajectory, this unceremonious ending felt particularly cruel. This wasn't just another roster move. This was the Point God being cast out at 3 AM, learning via team officials that his farewell tour was over before it truly began.
The Wake Forest Foundation
Before Chris Paul became "CP3" or "the Point God," he was a kid from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, carrying the weight of profound loss. During his senior year at West Forsyth High School, Paul's grandfather Nathaniel Jones was murdered. In a moment that would define his character, the 17-year-old Paul scored exactly 61 points in his next game—one for each year of his grandfather's life. That performance caught national attention and set the stage for his arrival at Wake Forest University in 2003.
Playing for legendary coach Skip Prosser, Paul didn't just excel at Wake Forest—he revolutionized what people expected from a freshman point guard. He set school freshman records for assists, steals, and shooting percentages while averaging 14.8 points, 5.9 assists, and 2.7 steals per game. The Demon Deacons made the NCAA tournament, and Paul earned ACC Rookie of the Year honors.
His sophomore season elevated both Paul and the program to unprecedented heights. He led Wake Forest to a school-record 27 victories and the program's first-ever No. 1 national ranking. As a consensus First-Team All-American, Paul averaged 15.3 points and 6.6 assists while shooting an absurd 46.9% from three-point range. Wake Forest retired his No. 3 jersey in 2013, and he was inducted into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.
| Chris Paul at Wake Forest (2003-2005) |
|---|
| Games Played: 63 |
| Points Per Game: 15.0 |
| Assists Per Game: 6.3 |
| Steals Per Game: 2.5 |
| 3-Point Percentage: 46.9% |
| Honors: Consensus First-Team All-American (2005), 2x All-ACC, ACC Rookie of the Year (2004) |
Paul left for the NBA Draft after his sophomore year as the fourth overall pick in 2005, but his connection to Wake Forest never wavered. He donated $2.5 million to the basketball program in 2018—the largest donation ever by a former basketball student-athlete under age 35. The Chris Paul Locker Room stands as a testament to that bond.
From New Orleans to Lob City
Paul's NBA journey began in New Orleans, where he won Rookie of the Year and established himself as the league's premier point guard. But everything changed in 2011 when he arrived in Los Angeles via trade. Paired with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, Paul orchestrated the "Lob City" era—six seasons (2011-2017) of high-flying basketball that transformed the Clippers from league laughingstock to legitimate contenders.
During those years, Paul became the face of the franchise. He's still the Clippers' all-time leader in assists and steals per game. He made five All-Star teams as a Clipper, earned five All-NBA selections, and turned a historically downtrodden organization into must-see TV. The Clippers never reached the NBA Finals under Paul, but they became relevant for the first time in franchise history.
When Paul left in 2017, it felt incomplete. But in July 2024, at age 40 and in the twilight of his career, Paul signed a one-year, $3.6 million deal to return to Los Angeles. It was supposed to be a storybook ending—the prodigal son coming home to finish his career where he had his greatest success.
"It was a no-brainer," Paul said at his introductory press conference. "My family is here. This is home."
The Clippers even honored his planned retirement with a tribute video just days before the split, specifically noting he'd be "hanging it up in a Clippers uniform."
The Unraveling
But fairytales don't exist in professional sports, and the Clippers' brutal 2024-25 season quickly soured what was meant to be a celebration. The team stumbled to a 5-16 record, losing 14 of 16 games at one point. Star acquisition Bradley Beal suffered a season-ending hip injury in November. The losses mounted, and tensions boiled over.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Paul and head coach Tyronn Lue hadn't spoken for several weeks before the split. NBA insider Chris Haynes reported that Paul requested a meeting with Lue to address allegations that he was a "negative presence" on the team—but Lue refused to meet with him. Paul's leadership style, which had been celebrated throughout his career, was now being painted as divisive.
On Monday, December 2, Paul played 15 minutes in a 140-123 blowout loss to Miami, scoring eight points with three assists. Lue pulled the starters two minutes into the third quarter in frustration. James Harden finished with a team-worst minus-39. The season was spiraling, and someone had to take the fall.
Less than 48 hours later, at 3 AM on a road trip in Atlanta, Paul learned he was out.
"We are parting ways with Chris and he will no longer be with the team," Clippers 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."
The statement felt hollow. If no one was blaming Paul, why send him home at 3 AM? Why refuse to meet with him? Why end it this way?
The Bitter Irony
Perhaps the cruelest twist came just hours before Paul's dismissal. On Tuesday evening, he posted an Instagram reel participating in a trending social media format where users reflect on pivotal life choices. Paul chose his 2011 trade to the Clippers, sharing nostalgic "Lob City" highlights with the caption "Lob City ❤️."
The post was affectionate, celebratory even. Paul was honoring the franchise that defined his prime years. Less than 12 hours later, that same franchise sent him packing in the middle of the night.
After the news broke, Paul trolled his former team by posting a FaceTime screenshot with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan—his Lob City running mates who also experienced acrimonious endings with the Clippers. Griffin was traded to Detroit in 2018 just months after signing a five-year extension. Jordan left in free agency. Now all three members of Lob City had been pushed out by the same organization.
A Pattern of Disrespect
This is the second time the Clippers have unceremoniously dumped an all-time franchise great. The parallels to Griffin's exit are striking—a beloved star returns or recommits to the team, only to be discarded when things go sideways. It's a pattern that speaks to organizational dysfunction that even new owner Steve Ballmer hasn't fully corrected.
Paul's teammates expressed shock and confusion. "I'm just as confused and shocked as you guys, the world," James Harden told reporters after the Hawks game. Kawhi Leonard said he was "taken aback." Even Lue, who reportedly wasn't speaking to Paul, admitted: "You never wanna see a great go out like this."
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith summed up the sentiment perfectly: "How the hell do you do this to Chris Paul?"
The Wake Forest Legacy Endures
What makes this ending particularly poignant is how starkly it contrasts with Paul's beginning. At Wake Forest, he was celebrated, honored, immortalized. His jersey hangs in the rafters. His locker room bears his name. The university welcomed his generosity and cherishes his legacy.
In Los Angeles, despite six years of excellence and a brief return meant to celebrate that history, Paul was cast aside at 3 AM via Instagram story.
Paul finished his abbreviated Clippers reunion averaging just 2.9 points and 3.3 assists in 14.3 minutes per game across 16 appearances—a far cry from his prime. But the decline in production doesn't justify the manner of his exit. At 40 years old, coming off a season where he started all 82 games for San Antonio, Paul knew his role would be reduced. He accepted it gracefully.
What he didn't deserve was to be scapegoated in the middle of the night.
What's Next?
Paul remains in limbo. The Clippers can't trade him until December 15 due to NBA rules, and waiving him creates salary cap complications. A buyout is possible, but Paul's next landing spot remains unclear. Some reports suggest this could truly be the end—his 21st and final NBA season ending not with celebration but with confusion.
The kid from Winston-Salem who scored 61 points for his grandfather, who led Wake Forest to its first No. 1 ranking, who revolutionized the point guard position, who lifted the Clippers from irrelevance—he deserved better than a 3 AM Instagram announcement.
Chris Paul's legacy is secure. He's second all-time in assists (12,500+) and steals (2,717). He's a 12-time All-Star, a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team, and a certain first-ballot Hall of Famer. Wake Forest will always celebrate him. History will remember him as one of the greatest point guards ever to play the game.
But the Clippers? They'll remember him as the guy they sent home at 3 AM when things got hard. And that says far more about the franchise than it ever will about Chris Paul.
Sources:
- ESPN - "Free-falling Clippers abruptly sever ties with Paul" - https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/47187141/clippers-send-cp3-home-road-trip-say-no-longer-team
- CNN - "From a sweet retirement tour to a shocking divorce: What just happened with Chris Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers?" - https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/04/sport/basketball-nba-chris-paul-clippers-release-intl
- Wake Forest Athletics - "Chris Paul (2021) - Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame" - https://godeacs.com/honors/wake-forest-sports-hall-of-fame/chris-paul/158
- Sports Illustrated - "Chris Paul's Most Recent Instagram Post Makes Shocking Clippers News Even Sadder" - https://www.si.com/nba/chris-paul-clippers-news-post
- ClutchPoints - "Clippers news: LA cuts Chris Paul overnight in shocking fashion" - https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-clippers/clippers-news-la-cuts-chris-paul-overnight-in-shocking-fashion
- Sports Reference - "Chris Paul College Stats" - https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/chris-paul-1.html