Los Angeles legend Chris Paul has been cut from the Clippers and sent home in a shock move confirmed by the franchise late Tuesday, less than two months into what was meant to be the player's last season.
"Just Found Out I'm Being Sent Home," Paul, 40, wrote on Instagram on Tuesday night.
In a statement to ESPN, Lawrence Frank, the Clippers president of basketball operations, confirmed the team is "parting ways with Chris, and he will no longer be with the team."
"We will work with him on the next step of his career. Chris is a legendary Clipper who has had a historic career," Frank said.
"I want to make one thing very clear. No one is blaming Chris for our underperformance. I accept responsibility for the record we have right now. There are a lot of reasons why we’ve struggled. We’re grateful for the impact Chris has made on the franchise," the statement added.
The Clippers did not immediately respond to NBC News' request for comment.
The L.A. team is 5-16 and 14th in the Western Conference. The Clippers are on the road in Atlanta and will face the Hawks on Wednesday night without Paul.
Paul has averaged 2.9 points this season, his 21st, with 15 appearances and no starts. He played Monday, where the Clippers lost to the Miami Heat, scoring 8 points and recording three assists.
Paul, known as "CP3" or "The Point God," is a modern basketball great, second on the all-time assists list with more than 12,500, and has been an NBA All-Star 12 times.
This is Paul's second stint with the Clippers, having played for the team during a hugely successful six seasons from 2011 to 2017, and his fans had hoped this season would have had a more celebratory ending for an almost certain future Hall of Famer.
