Welcome Home, Chris Paul | Press Conference | LA Clippers

Welcome Home, Chris Paul | Press Conference | LA Clippers

you uh was it a hard choice to make to come back here and take a reserve role or was there a was it just a no-brainer for you to come back here? Uh it was a no-brainer. It was a no-brainer. I actually uh did an interview before this and um I was talking about how uh when you in this lifestyle or world for a while, it’s a lot of people who will try to um tell your story for you. And so, um, you know, I was actually on vacation with my family and you see all the stories, people saying he he he only go here if he’s starting or if he’s doing this. I I think for me, uh, the gratitude that I have for being able to play as long as I’ve had, you know, I think the the easiest decision in this sitting right up here, right here, is my family. you know, is getting a chance to be around them and be uh be uh um around a lot more and get a chance to compete and play for a championship. And I’m sorry before I answer any anything else, I just want to say thank you so much to uh first and foremost to San Antonio Spurs, to the Hope family, to RC Buford, to Greg Papovic, the legend himself, uh to Mitch Johnson who coached us this past year and all my teammates, you know, um without this past year in San Antonio, this that would if that doesn’t happen, I don’t have this opportunity to actually come back here and play this year. So, thank you so much to the Spurs and their organization. Chris Tomarley with Clutch Points. Welcome back. Um, just talk to me about what it was like to walk through the doors, watch this arena, see your name up on the Halo board, your your jersey out there in the locker. Like, what was all that like for you? Yeah. Um, it’s it’s it’s kind of wild, kind of crazy. Um, still kind of speechless. I’ll probably have a lot of words later with with my family. you sort of just taking it uh the whole experience here right now. Um this is one of those things I kind of manifest manifested for a long time. Sort of tried to speak it into existence, but uh you just never know if it’s it’s really going to happen cuz I love the hoop. I love to play this game, but I love my family more than any of it. So, I have so much gratitude for for Steve Balmer, for L, Frank, Too, Gillian, everybody in the Clippers organization for uh for um you know, bringing me in. Chris, you obviously got your number three back and rightfully so. Uh when you look up at the Raptors here and there’s there’s no retired jerseys, um and you think about what you’ve meant to this organization, what would that honor mean to you if you were eventually able to have a number three up in the Raptors? It it would mean everything. Um, as the re years go by, sometimes you just sort of remember things, you know what I mean? Um, the good times, the bad time, all the different experiences uh make you who you are. And this fan base from day one, you know, the way they took me and my family in and uh cheered for us and aside from the games or whatnot, life. So, uh, all my teammates, uh, Blake, DJ, all the guys over the years that, um, it’s it’s been a lot of history here and, uh, hopefully we can we can create more. Chris, hi. Uh, right here. Um, the other day Lawrence was talking about your relationship with Steve and and how you guys have remained cordial over the years uh since your trade and how you your trade also allowed the Clippers to stay relevant and basically keep competing since then. What has your relationship with Steve Balmer been like since that time? You know what’s crazy is I actually saw that the other day and I didn’t even think about that um that when I left how everything sort of happened, right? and me not signing as a free agent. I I haven’t thought about that, you know, like it’s just wild. Um, but Steve was amazing then, been amazing now. Uh, I don’t know about the rules and all that stuff in the NBA or whatnot. I don’t know what people can know or what don’t know, but I we we’ve stayed um text and communicate and stuff like that just because I mean I was president of the union, so there’s other owners around the league that I’ve gotten a chance to know. So, um, just like anybody else, when this place was being built, I was curious. I was curious. So, I got a chance to reach out to him last summer and wanted to just see the building. So, great. I’m grateful that he showed me around. And so, just walking around just now, it’s a total different feeling, right? Last time I walked through here, I was just sort of peeking because I didn’t know if a guy on the current team was here and they like, “What the hell he doing here walking around?” So, um, man, uh, he I remember when he first got the team and I remember meeting him and talking to him about his family and his kids and I asked him how many games he going to come to and one of his kids was playing in high school at the time and he said that if his kid had a game, he wasn’t coming to our game, right? And I’ll never forget it because I appreciated that because that showed how much his family meant to him more than all of this. Hi, Chris. Uh, La Marett, the Athletic, welcome back home. Uh, I don’t want to retire you, but please don’t. Yeah, let’s but but let’s be real, like the approach that a lot of a lot of fans, a lot of cities, um, a lot of media is going to take over this next year is that they might not get a chance to celebrate you again as you’re an active player as you go into this season. So, how are you approaching that? Are you sharing that approach or do you you know are you how open are you? I’m I’m just in it to tell you the truth. I’m I’m still in it right day in and day out. Uh enjoying it, right? Because like I said, you live and you learn and you learn not to take things for granted. Um I was home this morning. Uh, and tell you the truth, my wife and my kids probably tired of me already cuz ever since I got the news, every time we home, I’m just jumping around talking about I’m home. I’m home. I’m home. But, uh, I got a chance to lift weights this morning with my son. Uh, my daughter, uh, we just came from a AU tournament for her. So, um, anybody here that got pets, family, anything like that? Um, sometimes it’s just nice to be in your people’s space, right? No matter if you talking, matter if you watching TV or anything like that. So, it’s just been really cool to to be around my family and know that the countdown hasn’t started for me to leave again. And so, I think that’s what I’m most happy and thinking about right now. Chris, you uh beat the Clippers with the Suns to make it to the finals. handful of years ago and just could you ever comprehend coming back to the team at that point and then just along those lines it’s a crowded Western Conference but you guys have a lot of talent. Where do you think your group is in the West and what’s the chance of making another trip to the finals with this group? Yeah, you know what’s crazy is I I think about that game right which I I’ll never forget. Obviously, that was the first time I made it to the NBA finals. And I think all the emotions that night came from it being my first time going to the finals and doing it here in LA against my extended family. You know, the people that still work for the team or whatnot who have literally watched me grow up and I looked up and in a box was my family, you know, and I if I’m really honest, I wanted to get back and play here by any means necessary, right? I didn’t even care what the team looked like. I just want to be home, be here with the Clippers. And to tell you, man, I’m just so excited about the moves that the team has made this off seasonason, right? Uh and Brad coming to the team, Brook Lopez, all the young guys. I talked to James, I talked to Kawhai, you know, and I’m I’m even more excited about what I think we we have a chance to do. Chris, right here on the on the aisle. Uh, I think Lawrence had said last week that one of the things that attracted you was the Clippers have a from Steve have a philosophy that they’re not going to tear down like every year they’re going to try to maximize their chances to win and you know a lot’s been made about this roster’s age kind of in a younger West. I’m just curious about what you see as this team’s path to winning to being that contender class. Yeah, I haven’t got that deep and thought about it yet to tell you the truth, but um I know that there’ll be conversations. There’s there’s a lot of time for that. And uh aside from everything else too, I’mma tell you, I’m I’m excited to play for Too, right? See, people probably don’t remember, Tou was my assistant coach when I was here with the Clippers, and we’ve stayed close over the years or whatnot. And what makes Too different from a lot of coaches? There’s a lot of great coaches in this league, but Tou is one of the coaches that uh I think teams like you have to prepare for him, too. It’s weird being on other teams playing against the Clippers because a lot of times you’re just scouting like how do we stop Kawhai? How do we stop this? But, you know, just know a lot a lot of teams respect Too and his ability. So, I’m excited to to be over there, too. Good afternoon and welcome back. Uh so you mentioned that you’ve had an opportunity to speak with some of your new teammates. I’m just curious as to what those conversations have been like. Nothing crazy. Just um with James and Kawhai and Brad. Uh me and Brad actually worked out together in uh Augusta. We’ve known each other for for a while. And then some of the um I talked to Bogey. Uh me and Nick texted. But it’s a summertime, right? It’s just pretty much a check-in, you know, letting guys know that you’re excited about this opportunity. And I think cuz I’ve played long enough, this is sort of that time where guys get to enjoy their family, enjoy their their time off, and when it’s time to lock in, uh, we will. Chris, you mentioned you’re thrilled to be back by your family, but how are your kids feeling having dad back in their business every minute? Yeah, that’s a good question. you have to ask them which which to to tell you the truth I I don’t think for one second it’s going to be easy right it’s going to be an adjustment for all of us especially for for them for my wife for my my brother his family I’m excited about like really being an uncle right because I I grew up around all all my family and that stuff is important and so for them not to just see me on TV or uh a quick twominute phone call on the way to school or whatnot. Um, yeah, they they know how I am, so we’ll see how that goes. And also, uh, how’s it going to feel with you and LeBron repping the 40some crowd in this town? Uh, it’s gonna be cool. It’s gonna be cool. Like I said, it’s a lot of gratitude or whatnot to still get a chance to uh to play at this age or whatnot. But um I I’ve always believed in keep stacking days, right? And that you just have to show up every single day. Every single day. So that’s what I I plan on bringing to this team is that no matter, you know, thing you never get too high, never get too low. You know, my role on this team is obviously different than it’s been the past 20 years being in the NBA, but showing up every day. If I can show some of the guys what it looks like every day to clock in and clock out, um, I’m excited for it. Chris Grant, nice to meet you. Welcome back. Uh, you know, you talked about into a dome and, you know, how far the organization has come. You talked about your family. The fans, when you were here, you got getting that standing ovation when you’re sitting as a fan. What do the fans mean to you and what did that ovation mean to you just getting that reception from the fans? man, it it it meant everything. I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like to to play here. Um even changing teams and playing as a visitor to come and see a lot of the familiar faces or the fans when I’m around, right? when I’m around during the summer or my kids on teams or my daughter’s on a team and the parents say that they season ticket holders and they’ve been here for a long time is something I don’t always take for granted. I remember what was it clip section 114. Uh they got a mean air condition unit in here. I tell you that much. I tell you that much. But uh I remember Clipper section 114, right? Um just about every game we used to score a lot of points back then. Obviously be 150 160 now in the league, but uh it was a section that we would look up at. It was clip section 114. And I remember they always said if we ever scored 114 points on the dot, they would go get tatted. And they did it. They did it. And I remember my brother used to have floor seats and it was one of the games that he couldn’t come to. And I remember Instagraming telling uh two of the people who sit there that they could come sit and watch the game there, you know. So the fans here are like none other. They are really fans of the game. So to see the wall and to see all the creativity in here, um I’m probably a little biased, but I think the team and everybody, they deserve, you know, good things and and deserve to see this team win. Chris, just the just the fact that you know 2011 you was we can’t even say here it was it was in Ply Visa somewhere different head coach different GM owner obviously was different like and you were saying you wanted to help make this the destination place like a place for people to be like how much pride do you have now being able to come full circle you know with everything that you’ve experienced both here and in between coming back here um now how much pride do you have in making that a reality for this franchise? It’s it’s a lot. It’s a lot and I think you’ll see it, you know, and I I do realize that was a different time or whatnot. And it’s been a lot of guys here who have done a great job and shifting the culture and and making it is making it what it is now, you know, and all of the people here that played a role in this. I mean, you got to think about the colors are different, the logo is different, you know what I mean? But, uh, a lot of the fans have remained the same. And so, I think that’s what I’m most excited about is getting here, um, getting a chance to play alongside Kawhai. Kawhai has been here, you know, with that culture change and all that and bringing in James and all these different guys. So, uh, I’m excited. Two more. Chris, uh, I know you and James are probably two of the more competitive guys in the league. Everyone likes to share that clip of you and him kind of going back and forth on the Rockets bench. Just what is that relationship with him like? Obviously, you guys are hyper competitive, but what is that like? And what were the conversations with him about coming here? Yeah. Uh, we talked about it and, you know, talked about just, you know, the history of obviously being there in Houston. And it’s funny, man, cuz that clip or whatnot that goes around. It was a lot of stuff funnier and stuff like that than that. That was just sort of our relationship, you know, but I think that’s what made that team so good. you know, we got on each other in different situations, but that team, uh, I can honestly say was one of the funnest teams I’ve ever been on in my career. And James is one of those guys that loves to be in the gym all day long. And so, um, it’s wild that you get this opportunity again after those two years and the success that we had. And we find we we we definitely know we had unfinished business. So, we get a chance to to see what’s going on here. Chris, um, you’ve mentioned it feels like coming back home and you’ve mentioned this building in particular. When you look back at your time, the your first stint with the Clippers, does it seem like this building to you like you had a large hand in making this a reality? No, I ain’t saying all that cuz I couldn’t put nothing down on this building. I couldn’t put in on none of this, none of this. But, uh, no, I I I think myself along with all the guys that came before, you know what I mean? Seriously, like the there’s a whole legacy of Clippers. I mean, Elton Brand, BD, you know, Norm Nixon, you start going back to all them all them different guys, you know, and especially BG Blake, uh, DeAndre, all all the different guys. But it it is different because this this isn’t where we played, right? So, I I’ve watched the building of this building, right? I watched I think the first preseason game that was played here. I’ve paid attention to all of this. You don’t you don’t have any choice, right? All of us that that really have memories and ties to this team, for most guys, I don’t care where you go, you know, if you’ve been with a team and you’re that invested, you may go other places, but um this this will always be special to me.

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