No NBA fan would have expected this reunion for Chris Paul and the Los Angeles Clippers, who have played for the said team from 2011 to 2017, and was definitely the face of the franchise over those years before he went from one team to another. Now that he's back, albeit in his final season, it seems that the chase for glory still remains a big goal for one of the legendary guards to ever play the game.

For starters, Paul isn't returning to the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena), but will be playing in the Intuit Dome instead. He isn't starting for the same team he led for many years, but will be coming off the bench instead with the hopes of winning a championship alongside known NBA stars in Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Bradley Beal – with the latter two also chasing their first respective rings.

At this point, it is clear that Paul is making up for lost time with one of his most beloved teams in the NBA. He was a flashy playmaker at the time and was at the peak of his stardom. And yet he had no rings to show for it, nor did he have one when he played for four different teams since moving from the Clippers.

One Last Run

In the early parts of the offseason, Paul went on to announce that this would be his final NBA season – part of it came from having no assurance from the San Antonio Spurs, his previous team that is already gearing up to make an emergence in the Western Conference with their newfound young core.

So when the Clippers came to him asking for a deal, it was quite a surprise that a contending team with a lot of aging stars would consider bringing him back. On top of that, they had a flurry of guards in their arsenal. So can they even try to make it make sense? Especially with the fact that they just had a Game 7 run in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

“It's wild that you get this opportunity again after those two years and the success that we had,” Paul said. “We definitely know we had unfinished business so we get a chance to see what's going on here.”

Well, Paul himself his hunting for a ring, and so are the Clippers. It has been a while since the squad has shown a lot of potential for being a competitive team over the years. Paul knows that he defeated them one time when playing for the Phoenix Suns en route to the 2021 NBA Finals. Now it's time for him to bring them to the promised land, where the team has never dared to take a step.

A Harden Reunion

Another big thing to look out for in this return by Paul to the Clippers is that he is going to reunite with James Harden. In 2017, the two stars played together in Houston and went so close to reaching the NBA Finals in those two years. Now, the two stars are back together, and they are now fueled with desperation in their respective careers – add in Beal's chase for a ring as well.

“I wanted to get back and play here by any means necessary,” Paul said. “I didn't even care what the team looked like, I just wanted to be home, be here with the Clippers.”

And to add a cherry on top, Paul also becomes the second player as an active 40-year-old in the NBA, alongside his good friend, LeBron James, who plays for the rival team Los Angeles Lakers.