Around this time last season, there was a ton of hype surrounding the Los Angeles Clippers . Apart from retooling their roster to compete in the very tough Western Conference, the Clippers also brought back franchise legend Chris Paul for what was supposed to be his retirement tour.
And then, everything went to sh-t.
Early-season injuries plagued the Clippers as they greatly underperformed and dropped to as low as 6-21 in a season wherein they were pegged by experts to be the third, possibly even second-best team in the West. But that wasn't even the worst of it.
Quite possibly the lowest point of the Clippers' season came in December, when the team inexplicably sent Paul home in the middle of a road trip. Paul accepted a bench role for the first time in his career just so he could return to the franchise and have a proper send-off, but he wasn't even seeing much playing time, even if the Clippers were missing guys due to injury.
While there was no official explanation as to why the Clippers, who had hyped Paul's return and even held a special press conference for his signing, ended up sending him home anyway, reports surfaced that he had caused some tension behind the scenes.
The Clippers ended up trading Paul to the Toronto Raptors during the mid-season trade deadline. He eventually announced his retirement in February of 2026, marking an unsavory end to a legendary career.
Just when it looked like people had already moved on from how the Clippers treated their fanbase's most beloved and respected player, the franchise managed to find yet another way to seemingly disrespect Paul.
Prior to the start of the 2026-27 season, it was reported that Clippers guard Bradley Beal would be switching from jersey No. 0 to jersey No. 3. Obviously, this didn't sit well with hoops fans, as many believed that the Clippers' No. 3 should be off limits, in anticipation of its eventual retirement.
Beal explained his side of the situation, saying that the Clippers management gave him the green light to wear the number, making the perceived disrespect even more pronounced.
At this point, it's unclear if the Clippers even actually plan on retiring Paul's jersey at all, even though many believe that it's the right thing to do. And while it's completely understandable if Paul feels disrespected by everything that's transpired, close friend and fellow NBA legend Carmelo Anthony has some words of advice.
"CP gotta let it go, meaning, don't even sweat it. Let them sweat on it, let them decide that, let them figure that out. Continue doing what you doing," Anthony said in a recent episode of his 7PM in Brooklyn podcast. " Yeah, anybody who have an opportunity to have their jersey hung up in the rafters is gonna want their jersey in the rafters."
Anthony went through a similar situation with the Denver Nuggets, who drafted him third overall back in the 2003 draft. Anthony went on to become the Nuggets' franchise star for seven-and-a-half seasons. During his time in Denver, Anthony wore No. 15. When the Nuggets drafted future cornerstone Nikola Jokic in 2014, they allowed him to wear the same number. Naturally, Anthony felt slighted by this.
"I think we make it seem like it's just so easy to get your jersey in the rafters, no it's not easy to get your jersey in the rafters. It's about what you leave in this organization, the impact, the effect," Anthony added. "Not just the wins and losses, how you made people feel around here in the organization, the community, the city, it goes deeper than just banners."
Unfortunately for Anthony, many fans will agree that Jokic has done more for the Nuggets than he ever did, winning three MVP honors and leading the franchise to its first NBA title in 2023. If the Nuggets do end up retiring No. 15, it'll likely be for Jokic.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Oct 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
