"Your daddy ain't never gon' win no championship"- Chris Paul opens up about what difficulties his daughter faced about the star's accolades.
Chris Paul will go down in basketball history as one of the best point guards to ever play the game. He is a surefire first-ballot Hall of Fame player, who still hasn’t won the Larry O’Brien Trophy at this stage in his NBA career.
“CP3” has had to deal with critics and the trolling that goes with the lack of an NBA championship. While he has taken it on the chin, it hasn’t been the case with the people around him.
Here’s what he had to say on “The Pivot Podcast” about how a title-less career has affected him and those closest to him:
(29:25 mark)
"My kids, my daughter is the sweetest soul you’ll ever meet in your life but she’s at the age now where at school kids talk crazy to her. She had a little boy at school that said some reckless stuff to her was like, 'Your daddy ain't never gon' win no championship.'
“My baby is so special. She’ll hold it together but when she got in the car, she called. She was upset. I had to have that conversation with her and talk to her. … It’s tough. Can’t nobody be ever harder on me than myself.”
Chris Paul especially noted how injuries have been a major contributor to his misfortunes in the playoffs. He particularly mentioned how unlucky he has been with freak injuries. Paul recalled Game 4 of the 2016 NBA postseason against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The “Point God” was still with the LA Clippers at that time. They were the fourth-seeded team taking on the fifth-ranked Blazers. The Clippers had a 2-1 lead heading into the said game.
Paul, who was guarding Gerald Henderson in one play in the third quarter, got his hand stuck in Henderson’s jersey. When Henderson suddenly moved to attack the rim, he accidentally broke Paul’s right hand. 16 screws were needed to help fix the fracture.
Injuries to Chris Paul (or his co-star) in the playoffs:
2015 — Hamstring injury
2016 — Broken hand
2017 — Toe injury (Blake)
2018 — Hamstring injury
2021 — Shoulder injury
2022 — Hamstring injury (Booker) https://t.co/9jfDFgEyCv
When Chris Paul went down with an injury, the Clippers lost the next four games to the Blazers.
Chris Paul is nearly running out of time to win an NBA championship
The Phoenix Suns were one of the biggest favorites to win this year’s NBA championship when they traded for Kevin Durant. With just under five minutes in the third quarter of Game 2 against the Denver Nuggets, Chris Paul injured his right groin.
Paul and Nuggets guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were battling for a rebound when “CP3” suddenly grabbed his groin. He was immediately taken out of the game and was ruled out for the rest of the series.
Chris Paul suffers groin injury, Phoenix Suns down 2-0 in West semifinals to Denver Nuggets
Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul grabbed at his groin area in the third quarter and left Game 2 against Denver Nuggets.
Read in detail >> bit.ly/3VpKqil
#ChrisPaul | #Phoenix |… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… https://t.co/ZeM9RgGHMV
Without the “Point God,” the Suns battled to tie the series at 2-2. But, the Nuggets’ depth, balance and chemistry were just too good to overcome.
Paul’s contract with the Suns next season is only partially guaranteed. The team, however, reportedly wants to keep him in the team and pay the full $30.8 million he’s due next season.
Even if “CP3” remains with the Suns to play with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, they still might not even win the Western Conference. Chris Paul will be playing in his 19th season. While he remains one of the smartest and most competitive players, he has increasingly shown signs of decline.
Paul may become one of those greats who just couldn’t win an NBA championship ring before he calls it a career.
Also read: What are Chris Paul's contract details with the Suns? Salary, duration and more