Patrick Beverley Shades Chris Paul for Failing to Make WCF During Clippers Tenure

Los Angeles Lakers guard Patrick Beverley went on comedian and actor Kevin Hart's Cold As Balls show and spoke on a number of topics. Along the way, he got in a shot at one of his NBA rivals, Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul.

The lead-in to the remark began when Hart asked Beverley about a moment when he was on the 2021-22 Minnesota Timberwolves in which he and the rest of his teammates joyously celebrated a play-in tournament win (and playoff berth clinching) over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Beverley gave some context behind that moment and pointed out that Paul used to play on the Clips.

"Chris Paul was on the Clippers," Beverley said. "Then he left and I came on the Clippers. The only crew the Clippers went to the Western Conference Finals; the only time. They didn't go there with Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and Lob City. They went there with me."

In fairness, Paul was a star on the Clippers from 2011 to 2017, while Beverley was a complementary piece to a star core of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George during the aforementioned 2020-21 campaign. He averaged 4.9 points and 2.4 rebounds in 19.0 minutes per game in those playoffs.

Still, Beverley was part of a rotation that did something no other Clippers team had done in the franchise's five-decade history.

However, after the season, Beverley was traded to the Timberwolves, who later gave him a one-year, $13 million extension. Beverley said the Clippers weren't willing to show him the money, adding fuel to the fire.

"For them to come and you know [say] we're only looking for you to get $5 or $6 million, I felt like was the ultimate spit in my face when I literally just changed this whole organization around and we just went to the Western Conference Finals," Beverley told Hart. "I didn't think I got the fair end of the stick."

Beverley is back in Los Angeles but with the Lakers, and he's served as the team's starting point guard. His club recently played the Suns, and Beverley hit Paul with the "too small" taunt after a layup. Paul got the last laugh, though, after the Suns won 130-104.