'It's BS,' Donovan Mitchell Calls Out How Chris Paul's NBA Career Ended Before PG's Retirement
Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell wasn't happy to see Chris Paul's legendary NBA career end with an abrupt midseason split from the Los Angeles Clippers.
"To see the career end the way it did, I think it's BS," Mitchell said when speaking to Andscape about Paul during the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles. "I see all the reports. I don't know the ins and outs of everything, obviously, that's not my job. But I know, when you have a guy like that, there's a level that he has to be held to. And I think he wasn't given that opportunity, which I think is messed up.
"He's a hell of a person, hell of a point guard, hell of a player, and he's done so much for this game, as a player, on the PA as the president. He's done so much for us."
Mitchell went on to credit Paul, alongside Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George, with sparking his NBA career by encouraging him to enter the 2017 draft after two seasons with Louisville.
"Ultimately, always gonna pay my respects to CP, because he's done so much for me, but also for the game of basketball," Mitchell said.
Paul announced his retirement last Friday, just over two months after he played his final game for the Clippers.
Mitchell had previously expressed unhappiness with the Clippers' treatment of Paul earlier in the All-Star Weekend.
"The way Chris Paul retired, I think, should be changed," Mitchell said. "I think he deserved a better way to go out... for a Hall of Famer, for a legend, for a point guard like that who's had such a high impact on our game, for him to go out like that I think is definitely tough. I wish it was handled differently."
Paul, who previously played six seasons with the Clippers between 2011 and 2017, signed with his former franchise on a one-year, $3.6 million deal this offseason.
He told The Athletic's Law Murray in late November that he planned to retire at the end of the 2025-26 season.
That plan was derailed about two weeks later, when the Clippers announced on Dec. 3 the franchise was parting ways with Paul.
ESPN's Shams Charania reported at the time that Paul and Clippers coach Ty Lue had not been speaking for several weeks prior to the franchise's split with the veteran point guard.
Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, both of whom were playing for the Clippers prior to Harden's trade to join Mitchell and the Cavs, both said at the time they were shocked by Paul's departure from the team.
Paul, who had played his last game with the Clips on Dec. 1, sat out until he was traded to the Toronto Raptors as part of a three-team deal on Feb. 5.
The Raptors announced Friday that Paul had been waived. Less than an hour later, Paul shared the news of his retirement from the NBA.
Paul retired from the NBA after 21 seasons as one of eight players to earn more than 20 combined All-Star and All-Defensive Team nods. He sits second on the league's all-time leaderboard only to John Stockton for the most assists (12,552) and steals (2,728) in NBA history.
