After questioning his retirement, Chris Paul has decided to return home. The Los Angeles Clippers announced Monday that they were signing the veteran point guard to a 1-year, $3.6 million deal. The deal reunites the Clippers and Paul, who was a member of the organization from 2011 to 2017. This upcoming season marks his 21st and last year in the NBA.
Chris Paul spent six seasons with the with LA’s less glorious NBA franchise, ushering in the “Lob City” era of Clippers basketball. This era was coined after Paul repeatedly threw alley-oops, or “lobs”, to teammates Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. This squad changed the course of the franchise by consistently making the playoffs and became championship contenders for the entirety of Paul’s first stint wth the team. Before Lob City was formed, the Clippers were the laughing stock of the league, having only one deep run in the playoffs in 2006 and a 15-year playoff drought from 1977 to 1991.
The Clippers became a team to watch, garnering media attention from their newfound success. Paul and the rest of Lob City broke franchise records for wins and obtained division titles for the first time in the team’s history. A slice of Los Angeles was formed that rooted for the “little brother” and not the Lakers, one of the NBA’s marquee teams.
The Lob City era, though, was plagued by injuries and playoff losses; Paul never reached past the second round with the Clippers. In 2017, he left the Clippers to sign with the Houston Rockets and team up with James Harden, with who he has once again reunited in LA.
Chris Paul’s decision to return to the city he called home for six seasons was an easy choice. He gets closer to home and pushes for one final run at winning a championship. He joins Bradley Beal and Brook Lopez, two veteran players who recently signed this offseason with LA. The future Hall of Famer provides Los Angeles with a dependable ball-handler for the bench unit and can become a closer later in the season.
The Clippers’ goal of winning their first championship is in sight with their veteran team of Hall of Famers.
The 2025-2026 season has the potential to be one that Clippers fans won’t forget. Paul’s return comes with the expectations of a championship or, at the very least, a memorable season with lots of love shown towards him. The Clippers’ all-time assist leader is out to prove he still has gas in the tank and become a focal point in his former team’s championship goals.
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