Only 3 Clippers Players Reportedly Attended Chris Paul, Wife's Halloween Party

Chris Paul's attempts to help build camaraderie within the Los Angeles Clippers' locker room early in the 2025-26 NBA season apparently did not go well.

Appearing on the Mason & Ireland Show on ESPN 710 in Los Angeles (starts at 1:35 mark), ESPN's Ramone Shelburne explained that three Clippers players attended a Halloween party organized by Paul and his wife.

"Some of the things early on—like, he invited guys to his suite at the Rams game, and he threw a Halloween party, and then... no one came. After that, they get worked the first night in Utah, which makes this even sadder. Like, seriously — a Halloween party, and maybe three players showed up. I think Brad (Beal) came, and (Ivica) Zubac. Chris is trying to be like, 'I'm going to help you build some culture. I'll bring guys over to my house. Let's work out together. Let's have a Halloween party.' He and his wife threw the party in the suite after the Halloween game—and again, only three players came. So you're looking at this and thinking: he's trying to fill the leadership void the way he knows how, and every time he did, they would kind of recoil. Like, 'Eh, it's too much.'"

Shelburne's report on the separation between Paul and the Clippers added that the party was set up for team staffers and players in a club located inside the Intuit Dome.

"It was meant as a culture-building exercise, and afterward (Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence) Frank and others commended Paul for doing it, despite only a handful of players attending, sources said," wrote Shelburne.

After the Clippers announced on Dec. 3 they were parting ways with Paul, reports about his style of leadership and how it clashed with certain members of the organization were cited as reasons for the separation.

Paul has made some cryptic posts online since the announcement that could be taken as digs at the Clippers, but he has also said he is "at peace" with everything and looks forward to whatever comes next.

The Clippers signed Paul to a one-year minimum contract in the offseason with the idea he could boost their backcourt depth. He wound up making just 16 appearances before they elected to send him home.

Los Angeles has plummeted in the standings so far this season. The team's 6-20 record entering play on Wednesday is tied with the Sacramento Kings for the second-worst in the Western Conference.