INGLEWOOD, CA — The Los Angeles Clippers officially opened their doors to the Intuit Dome following years of preparation and planning. Coincidentally, some of the first opposing players to play in the LA Clippers' new arena are Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul.
Gilgeous-Alexander's experience as a Clipper didn't last long, but the same can't be said for one of the stars who helped put them on the map in Chris Paul. On Monday night, Paul got to play in the arena for the first time and spoke with a small group of reporters about what it was like to see the Clippers franchise have their own arena.
Chris Paul on the Clippers and Intuit Dome
When Chris Paul arrived in Los Angeles to join the Clippers via trade in 2011, the organization was a joke. The franchise had losing seasons in 17 of the 18 seasons prior to his arrival, with the 2005-06 Clippers being the only team with a winning record at 47-35.
Back then, the Clippers played at STAPLES Center, which was widely considered home of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Kings, and only then the Los Angeles Clippers.
Paul called it amazing to walk into the new Intuit Dome given what he's seen over his six years in Los Angeles.
“It's amazing man,” Paul said. “I had an opportunity to walk through and look at the building and everything maybe a few weeks before the season started and to see all that went into it. Obviously, to play here for six years and hear all that stuff about Staples Center and all that, to know that the team now has its own building and to see all the thought that went into it is [exciting]. I'm excited to finally get a chance to play.”
Together with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, Paul helped invigorate the Clippers organization and fanbase towards relevance. In every season since Paul's first year in Los Angeles in the 2011-12 lockout shortened season, the Clippers have had a winning record.
At 13 straight years, it's the longest active streak in league history. The only teams who have had all-time consecutive winning seasons longer than the Clippers' current 13 are the Boston Celtics (14), Portland Trail Blazers (14), Los Angeles Lakers (16), and the team Chris Paul is on now: the San Antonio Spurs (22).
As a franchise, the LA Clippers are one of the few teams that has yet to retire a jersey. Many have called for the great Bob McAdoo, the only MVP in franchise history, to have his retired. Others think the Big Three of the “Lob City Clippers” should have theirs retired at the Intuit Dome.
Chris Paul says he's too, “in-the-moment” to reflect back on his Clippers career, but would be honored to have his jersey retired in Los Angeles as a member of the Clippers.
“Obviously, the homies, my family, everybody talks about it,” the Spurs guard says of potentially having his jersey retired. “It would definitely be an honor and a privilege. I'm always grateful for the time that I had here. Seriously. My family still lives here in L.A. The Clippers always be near and dear to me because these years that I played here were a success to me and the foundation and the relationships and whatnot. It's always nice to be back here.”
Despite Blake Griffin having retired, DeAndre Jordan in a veteran leadership role with the Denver Nuggets, and Paul himself slowing down a bit, the veteran point guard isn't allowing him to look at anything outside of the season at the moment.
He does, however, acknowledge what it's like to watch some of the guys he's close with, most recently Rudy Gay, call it a career.
“It's wild. Having kids now, not just now, but my son is 15, my daughter is 12, so a lot of times when you're in it, you don't really take the time to reflect on it. I actually saw Blake this summer. We were somewhere and we talked for a little while. Me and DJ talk all the time, but it's that point in my career where a lot of my teammates and closest friends are retiring. Rudy [Gay] just retired, I think a week or two ago, which was pretty emotional. These are guys that I've trained with to get ready for a season and season out. I don't know. I'm still too in it to really, really process it. I'm sure BG will be over here at some point. I know DJ will be too.
Chris Paul is in his 20th season in the NBA now. The 12-time All-Star was named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team a few years ago and is now in a mentorship role with Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs.
Over his 20-year NBA career, the Spurs has career averages of 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 9.3 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. Paul also came into Monday's game 145 assists behind NBA legend Jason Kidd for second on the NBA's All-Time Assists List.
Follow Us
Subscribe
