At 3:00 AM local time on December 3, NBA legend point guard Chris Paul was released by the Los Angeles Clippers. The news was first reported by NBA insider Chris Haynes, almost simultaneously with Paul's Instagram story posting "Just found out I've been sent home."

Clippers president of basketball team Lawrence Frank subsequently released a statement to The TA confirming that the two sides had parted ways with him effective immediately: "We have parted ways with Chris Paul, and he is no longer a member of the team. We will assist him in planning the next step of his career."

"Chris is a Clippers legend with an illustrious career. I want to make one thing clear: the team's poor record is absolutely not Chris's fault. I take responsibility for our current situation. There are multiple factors contributing to the team's struggles. We are very grateful for Chris's contributions to the team."

Paul returned to the Clippers in July after a 14-year absence with a one-year, $3.6 million contract and confirmed last month that he will retire at the end of this season. The 40-year-old, a fourth overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft, has played for the New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, and San Antonio Spurs throughout his career.

To date, Paul has played 1,370 regular season games, averaging 16.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 9.2 assists per game. He has been selected to the All-Star team 12 times and named to the All-NBA Team 4 times. He has also played 149 playoff games, averaging 20.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 8.3 assists, and 1.9 steals per game.

However, the Clippers struggled after Paul's return, finishing 6-16 after 22 rounds, ranking second to last in the Western Conference. During this period, Paul also had a poor performance: he played 16 regular season games for the Clippers, averaging only 2.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.

According to ESPN reporter Shams Charania, Paul's release stemmed from his increasingly strained relationship with the Clippers. His leadership style was considered "extremely destructive" by Clippers executives due to his repeated public calls for management, coaches, and players to take responsibility.

Charania went on to point out that Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue hadn't spoken to Paul for weeks. Haynes added that Paul had asked Lue a few weeks ago to discuss rumors that he was being labeled a negative factor for the team, but Lue refused.