Chris Paul took a shot at the Clippers about 15 minutes after their season ended Wednesday, posting a meme on his Instagram story after Los Angeles lost to the Golden State Warriors 126-121 in the play-in tournament.
The meme was widely recognized as carrying the caption, “I stopped by one of my biggest haters funeral today just to make sure that … was dead.” The post landed fast, and it landed hard, because Paul signed with the Clippers for what was supposed to be his final NBA season before falling out with leadership and being permanently exiled from the organization.
Paul is not some outside critic throwing stones from a distance. He is the Clippers’ all-time assists leader and one of the best players in franchise history, and he has not been shy about his displeasure with the team since retiring rather than trying to join a contender. After retirement, he aired grievances on Carmelo Anthony’s podcast, keeping his complaints public rather than private.
The Clippers’ defeat was especially bitter because they led for 85% of the game and still lost at home. The loss ended their season, and it leaves the franchise staring at a difficult stretch that already includes an unprotected 2026 first-round pick owed to the Oklahoma City Thunder from the Paul George trade and the Indiana Pacers’ pick from the Ivica Zubac trade.
There is also the matter hanging over the organization beyond the scoreboard. The NBA is still awaiting the results of its investigation into the Leonard-Aspiration scandal, leaving the Clippers with the kind of uncertainty that turns one bad night into something much bigger than a single elimination game.
For Paul, the post was more than a joke. It was a reminder that the split between one of the franchise’s defining players and the team he once helped carry has never really healed.
