INGLEWOOD — He’s older, having recently celebrated his 40th birthday. And he might not be on the court at tipoff, instead playing a reserve role for only the second time in his 20-year NBA career.
But those might be the only differences between Chris Paul circa 2011 and now.
Paul said on Monday that fans should not expect anything different in his return to the Clippers this season, except maybe a brief smile now and then.
“I’m going to try to do better and try to smile a little bit more, a little bit this year,” Paul told an estimated 1,000 fans at a meet-and-greet after his introductory news conference at the Intuit Dome. “I just sort of play with this type of intensity. But I’m telling you, I’m grateful I’m going to come out every single night, whatever that looks like. You know what I mean? And try to make sure I show up for the team.”
Paul returns to the Clippers eight years after helping turn around the franchise with the Lob City era teams, and the loud ovation he received from the fans was a reminder that few have forgotten his contributions. The veteran guard, who played for the Clippers from the 2011-12 season through 2016-17, became emotional amid the chants of “CP3! CP3” from fans on Monday.
Coming home to Los Angeles, even if it meant playing a reserve role, “was a no-brainer,” he said. His wife and two children have remained here while he played elsewhere and not having to leave for the season was an attractive bonus.
“It is getting a chance to be around them and be around a lot more and get a chance to compete and play for a championship,” said Paul, who signed a one-year free agent deal for $3.6 million.
Before going further, he thanked the San Antonio Spurs organization and their players for giving him the opportunity to continue his career last season. He played one season with the Spurs, averaging 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds. 7.4 assists and 1.8 steals as a starter.
“If that doesn’t happen, I don’t have this opportunity to actually come back here and play this year,” Paul said. “So, thank you so much to the Spurs and their organization.”
Paul said he is excited to come back and play on a veteran team that includes future Hall of Famers Kawhi Leonard and James Harden. Paul and Harden played together with the Houston Rockets for two seasons, and it didn’t end well. The two didn’t speak for the final two months of the 2018-19 season, but Paul said Monday that all of that is in the past.
“I was just so excited to get back home and play here and didn’t care who was on the roster once upon a time,” Paul said. “And then once it did happen and I got a chance to see all the guys who’s on the roster and that got me even more excited.
“I had a chance to talk to Brook Lopez. I talked to John Collins, another Wake Forest guy. Talked to Kawhi, talked to JH.
“Obviously I’ve known Brad (Beal) for a while, but I’m just excited and I’ve been a big fan of Zu’s (Ivica Zubac) for a while.”
As a 12-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer himself, Paul has little to prove in what is likely to be his final NBA season. But that doesn’t mean he will step back from his aggressive playmaking and defensive game. He said he is still motivated and has plenty in reserve for what he considers a legitimate chance at a deep playoff run.
“I think that’s the thing of why I show up day in and day out. That’s something that I talked to my son about this morning … about self-motivation,” he said. “It’s not about showing and telling and teaching guys. I think you got to do that by the way you show up and I plan on doing that day in and day out. Whether that’s practice, whether that’s preparation, whatever that looks like.”