Chris Paul taunts Clippers on Instagram after Warriors end L.A.’s season
chris-paul-taunts-clippers-after-season-ending-loss
Los Angeles — Retired point guard Chris Paul wasted no time mocking his former team after the LA Clippers were eliminated from the NBA play-in tournament on Wednesday night.
Minutes after the Clippers fell 126-121 to the Golden State Warriors, Paul posted an Instagram Story featuring a viral meme of someone attending a “biggest hater’s” funeral to confirm the person was truly gone. The post appeared aimed squarely at the franchise that cut ties with him four months earlier.
Brief reunion ends badly
Paul, 40, signed with Los Angeles last summer hoping to play his 21st NBA season close to his family. When the deal became official, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank hailed him as “one of the most impactful players ever to wear a Clippers uniform.”
The relationship unraveled quickly. In the early hours of Dec. 3, the Clippers announced that Paul was no longer with the team. Reporting from ESPN’s Shams Charania indicated the veteran guard and head coach Ty Lue had stopped speaking. Paul told reporters on Dec. 9 he was “at peace with everything” and did not appear for another club the rest of the year.
Los Angeles traded the 12-time All-Star to the Toronto Raptors at the February deadline. Days later, Paul confirmed his retirement.
Meme with a history
Paul is not the first NBA player to use the “funeral” meme. Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid shared the same image in February 2022 after Philadelphia traded Ben Simmons to the Brooklyn Nets.
Warriors erase late deficit
On the court Wednesday, the Clippers led by 13 in the fourth quarter before Golden State surged ahead for good with 50.4 seconds remaining, ending L.A.’s season and, judging by Paul’s social-media reaction, giving the former Clipper one more reason to smile.
Source: ESPN
