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Debunking the viral and misleading video of Chris Paul talking to Ty Lue's alleged girlfriend
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- Debunking the viral and misleading video of Chris Paul talking to Ty Lue's alleged girlfriend
In the past few weeks, the spotlight has been on Chris Paul after the Los Angeles Clippers shockingly dismissed him for being too disruptive in the middle of his retirement tour. However, fans have been speculating on another possible reason.
Recently, an old video of Paul allegedly talking to the wife or girlfriend of head coach Tyronn Lue , who reportedly was " at wits' end " with the former, has come back to light. The video featured the guard having a chat with the woman before Lue walked and embraced her.
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The video has gained significant traction and has sparked a wildfire of misinformation, with people connecting Paul's "fooling around" with Lue's supposed partner to his issue with the head coach. They are even using Kanye West's accusation of CP3 having an affair with his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, in 2022, to substantiate the rumor.
However, the fans were wrong. The video did not show Lue's partner, but rather WNBA Coach of the Year Natalie Nakase of the Golden State Valkyries.
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Why were people deceived?
While some immediately understood that the video featured Coach Nakase – especially WNBA fans – many were still misled by the baseless humor and believed that Paul was talking to Lue's girlfriend. However, it is hard not to blame them due to the video's deceiving editing and Paul's controversial history.
First, it was slowed down and blurred out, making it difficult to identify the girl. Lue and Paul's faces were obvious, but because of the quality and the angle of the clip, people failed to recognize Nakase.
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The video was also incomplete. The trending clip was 15 seconds long, a result of the video's reduced speed. The original and unaltered video – which was posted on the Clippers' official social media pages on Oct. 29 – was also 15 seconds long but had higher quality and even showed center Ivica Zubac hugging Nakase as well.
Finally, fans just let Chris' past issue involving Kanye and Kim cloud their judgment and common sense. When the news broke out that Paul allegedly cheated with Kardashian, the internet had wild reactions . This case is no different. They took this video as confirmation of West's accusations.
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Who is Natalie Nakase?
Aside from not being Lue's significant other, Nakase boasts a wealth of experience in coaching in the WNBA and the NBA, which includes 10 years with the Clippers organization.
Nakase interned for the Clippers in 2012. She would become the assistant coach for the Agua Caliente Clippers in the G-League in the 2017-2018 season.
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In the next season, she took on the role of the Clippers' player development assistant coach. She held the position until 2020-2021, when Lue took over the reins from Doc Rivers. She reprised her assistant coaching role with the Clippers' G-League affiliate in 2022.
She had a three-year stint as assistant coach of the Las Vegas Aces, with whom she won two WNBA titles.
In 2024, Natalie was named the head coach of the Valkyries, an expansion team founded in 2025. In their inaugural season, the first Asian-American head coach in WNBA history led the team to a 23-21 record and a first-round appearance, where they were swept by the Minnesota Lynx.
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Still, this success was enough for Nakase to be voted the 2025 WNBA Coach of the Year.
People need to stop spreading the viral video because it is simply false and misleading.
Paul was cut because of his deep conflict with the Clippers and not because of some love affair.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 8, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
