Blake Griffin takes Chris Paul's side after ugly Clippers divorce, 'disappointed' in former team
Blake Griffin has made it clear where his loyalties lie in the long-running fallout from the Los Angeles Clippers’ breakup, publicly aligning himself with Chris Paul and expressing disappointment in how their former franchise handled the split.
The comments add a fresh layer to one of the NBA’s most intriguing “what if” stories. The Lob City era Clippers were built around Paul, Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan, a core that helped drag the franchise from irrelevance into perennial playoff contention. Yet despite talent, star power, and regular-season success, the group never broke through to the Western Conference finals, and tension between personalities and priorities lingered in the background.
Griffin siding with Paul reinforces a perception that the organization, rather than just the players, bears responsibility for the partnership’s implosion. Around the league, the Clippers of that era are often cited as a cautionary tale about culture, communication, and the delicate balance between stars and management. When a former franchise cornerstone publicly admits disappointment in his old team, it suggests that internal fractures went deeper than simple locker-room disagreements.
For Paul, long viewed as a demanding leader whose intensity can grate on teammates, Griffin’s support is significant. It subtly pushes back against the narrative that the All-Star point guard was the primary source of dysfunction. Instead, it hints at missed opportunities by the front office to mediate conflicts, stabilize the locker room, and fully capitalize on a championship-level window.
The Clippers have since reinvented themselves with a new arena, a different star core, and a more modern organizational structure. Yet echoes of the Lob City breakup still influence how players, agents, and executives evaluate the franchise’s trajectory. Griffin’s stance will only sharpen that lens, reminding the league that talent alone is not enough.
Ultimately, his comments serve as both a defense of Paul’s legacy and an indictment of what might have been. For a team that once seemed on the verge of transforming the Western Conference landscape, the lingering disappointment from within its own ranks speaks volumes.
The comments add a fresh layer to one of the NBA’s most intriguing “what if” stories. The Lob City era Clippers were built around Paul, Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan, a core that helped drag the franchise from irrelevance into perennial playoff contention. Yet despite talent, star power, and regular-season success, the group never broke through to the Western Conference finals, and tension between personalities and priorities lingered in the background.
Griffin siding with Paul reinforces a perception that the organization, rather than just the players, bears responsibility for the partnership’s implosion. Around the league, the Clippers of that era are often cited as a cautionary tale about culture, communication, and the delicate balance between stars and management. When a former franchise cornerstone publicly admits disappointment in his old team, it suggests that internal fractures went deeper than simple locker-room disagreements.
For Paul, long viewed as a demanding leader whose intensity can grate on teammates, Griffin’s support is significant. It subtly pushes back against the narrative that the All-Star point guard was the primary source of dysfunction. Instead, it hints at missed opportunities by the front office to mediate conflicts, stabilize the locker room, and fully capitalize on a championship-level window.
The Clippers have since reinvented themselves with a new arena, a different star core, and a more modern organizational structure. Yet echoes of the Lob City breakup still influence how players, agents, and executives evaluate the franchise’s trajectory. Griffin’s stance will only sharpen that lens, reminding the league that talent alone is not enough.
Ultimately, his comments serve as both a defense of Paul’s legacy and an indictment of what might have been. For a team that once seemed on the verge of transforming the Western Conference landscape, the lingering disappointment from within its own ranks speaks volumes.
