Chris Paul on Getting Traded, What Comes Next, and His Favorite Teammates Ever

Our Guest is here and we couldn't be happier uh he is one of my favorite players we can't believe we pulled this off it's Chris Paul [Applause] uh we'll get you right here all right we did it fam we did it listen man Ryan first and foremost I hold on one second first and foremost I want to apologize I don't know who did my schedule but I was somewhere deep in Jersey and I finished at this book bookstore and huh what's it called bookends bookends yeah and then I was like I gotta go to Ryan I gotta go to Ryan and they was like it's a 45 minute drive oh damn so I apologize I'm serious I hate that I'm sorry um thank you you don't have to apologize but just so now the audience knows this whole last like three hours this is what I've been dealing with going like because then you know it was one thing like hey he's available this is like you know and this is going back a year when we were trying to request you then I was going to fly out to Phoenix and I was going to stay there for the Super Bowl and it was just going on and on and on and then they're like oh no no it is yeah and they were like hey they're like we think we can get him for the New York show and I was like okay but like you know it's you're gonna be busy the new book is out and then I saw him like on GMA and I stopped doing everything I was like man by the time I did The View today right I was like he's gonna be so sick of this by the time like he rolls around and then you get traded oh oh so then I'm like I'm like every day I'm waking up in La before I fly out here I was like I'm gonna get the he's not going he's not doing it he's not doing it I'm here so here you are man um well look I had a plan on how I wanted to interview you and it obviously got altered and I've seen probably everything you've done and everybody's gonna ask and you know you land and the whole deal but what's it been like now a couple days sinking in I'm better today all right you know I'm serious it's funny man my wife she's someone she over here she been she been with me every day all day through everything you know what I mean so it's uh you you give it a day yesterday to process and now uh you sort of wait and see see what's next and I mean [Applause] damn now look man they they they want you here uh were you like you know I know how the contract works and all that stuff we knew when it was first extended you're like okay you know there'll be a decision and see how it goes but like I probably know that but like I just want to hear from you like what did you want to do when the season ended like where were you with the team and the new ownership and bringing in KD in the in the Denver series like where were you about like next year that's a good question um I uh I wanted to be with Phoenix like I'm not gonna lie to you uh since Matt took over the team I actually talked to him pretty often like regularly you know what I mean so um I love I loved it in Phoenix love it loved it I don't know how to say it whatever I guess loved past tense I loved it in Phoenix those last three years have been amazing our team my relationship with book is like none other um it's a great city to live in it's a great uh fan base to play in front of uh I was an hour flight away from my wife and my kids so everything was just just perfect about it uh you never know man I'm serious you never know so the deal the deal goes through that I'm just saying my career I don't you never know the deal goes through and and now you said you had a little more time to process it you're not as I've said the beginning and then you know I know Winger a little bit from the Clippers time he's running the show you know I'm sure ownership gets involved a little bit like I don't know what you can tell us or what you can share I mean feel free to go all the way but like worry right me and Winger actually missed each other right so he got to the Clippers after I left 117. a lot of them Years be running together I didn't realize that he uh he was with OKC too yeah yeah because now Will Dawkins is there and Will was with me at OKC so crazy how all that stuff worked but we was never at the same team together right so what do you think like do you do you go into it now being like hey I'd rather not rebuild or like I'm open to anything they have a decision with a lot of money in play here in seven days so you're looking at me being like you just don't think I know that what what what like what go what can you actually share with us that you can tell us about like all right all the different things that I'm thinking about because obviously there's just speculation in every corner it's actually kind of nice too because it seems like everybody wants you yes it's a lot of conversations being had I haven't talked to Wing or anything like that uh as you know things aren't even finalized like they gotta have trade calls and all this different type stuff so yeah there'd be a third team and some other guys get moved around in it so who knows you probably know more than I do did they send you they didn't send you a Wizards jersey yet because I was going to order one for my [Applause] [Laughter] ah look the funny thing you know the Mellow Atlanta thing yeah that's what the Rasheed Jersey I always I love when I go to like a concert I see a kind of Rasheed Wallace Atlanta Jersey I'm like all right that happened yeah he was there like three games before he got spun to Detroit didn't know that yeah it was a long time ago it was a long time I played for the Lakers for a few hours [Applause] what's that memory like for you versus like it because I had heard a story you wanted to come here and play with mellow more than you wanted to go to LA who you be talking to that's that's the next book all right that's the next book yeah it was it was a lot going on at 2011 summer you know what I mean as far as teams and all this stuff but I everything happens for a reason you know and I'm a firm believer in that and I'm grateful for everything that has taken place in my career good and and bad a lot of the unfortunate situations have been the things that have given me that drive and giving me that mindset so you know just try to um have fun with all of them I know whenever you know we got the opportunity is like the the hardcore listener you know me the last years and like you wouldn't remember when we met I think you read a national championship game long time ago and I was still doing the show of Van Pelt whatever he's gonna tell me what I remember right no but I you know it was like somebody came over and dominated it and I was like oh here I'm gonna get out you know you know how it so when we were doing this to be like oh everybody you know like how do we how do we talk about all the stuff because I've seen some of the other clips and I'm like getting defensive for you on your behalf and I'm like well don't you understand the other guy got hurt that year and then whatever and like whenever she sounded like one of my family members right no but then then I'd see the graphics right and the playoff series they'd be like oh so it counts when he's actually the one that's hurt like you're supposed to agree with me a little bit more on that I guess the thing that I always love like going back to wake even I was like all right this guy is tough he's smart he's efficient this guy's a [ __ ] like he's everything I want a player and the and as we look at the culmination of the career it's like everything I believe in is that you're the guy and I still believe that and yet you've been so unlucky you've been so unlucky man and what's the worst one what's the worst one uh damn that's tough ain't it that's tough when you can't figure out which one no because I mean I mean this is like like even this year against Denver and I'm at home and I'm like you've got to be [ __ ] kidding it's the same thing I see uh you know like I have a job but like I don't want to seem like a but I mean it was just there'd be different ones where I'd be like you can't possibly like no you can't and like we haven't even met them at home devastated imagine what it's like for me or especially especially for my wife that's who was really hard on I I'll tell you the truth um so a very unlucky one was the Portland situation when I stole the ball with this hand this finger got caught in a jersey and I got a spiral fracture and had to have 16 screws uh in my hand I remember I got home that night and like she's the one who has the deal with me right like and I'm serious when I say that because I've said because there has been a few of those unlucky situations is that I give myself that night right like I give myself that night to be upset to cry if it is a situation or whatnot and then I always tell myself if the next morning is over with right you got to get back to work you got to start rehab you got to do what you got to do and let me tell you people are going to talk always why not you know what I mean but I always say there are people who talk and there are people that do right so I could feel sorry for myself and sit on my ass and be like damn why did this happen you know what I mean and that may happen that first night but then the next day I'm right back to work so that happened in Portland um a playoff series um with OKC that was really tough you know what I mean because it's a whole nother story we'll talk about that offline at some point but uh but uh when the turnover happened the foul and all that stuff rusted the three free throws then we run to play and don't get a shot up I was I was messed up in the locker room all the way to when I got home I remember I was just up all night like because you feel like you let people down you know what I mean so that one was probably one of the toughest yeah my most downloaded I think a top five most downloaded episode was after Dallas and people just wanted to hear me be miserable oh yeah yeah and after like 30 minutes I was like I don't what else do you want me to tell you I'm bummed out oh yeah I have no excuse foreign I heard there was something else but I don't want to get anybody into trouble yeah yeah uh but look I want to talk about this because I read this and I you know I knew a little bit about you but obviously I didn't know the full scope of the story I don't know why that was so funny but uh 61 the book is out now and I love the timeline of of how you did it your editors I think you guys did a great job of of going back and you know one of the things that I know is you know working for your grandfather at his station and it being historic that he owned it and you and CJ going there and what I loved about it is that you actually wanted it sounded like you wanted to go to the gas station hang out with your grandfather hang out with all these old dudes these Legends and it kind of speaks to like I just think there's a pretty simple rule in life um if you learn how to be somebody that cares about hard work if you learn that hard work is your answer it can solve a lot of your problems and like was I was reading about you and your brother I'm like actually a lot of this stuff even your playing style like made sense to me yeah uh in the book I hope like I'm I mean it when I say it if you don't like me still read it you know what I mean still which that's cool too I think it was uh it was fun to write the book because I got a chance to sort of talk about why I'm why the way I am um I talk about my relationship with my grandfather um who was like my best friend and I worked at a gas station every summer right my grandfather had the first black owned service station in North Carolina so during the summer yeah so so I wanted to be like him I used to walk around with a red rag in my pocket you know what I mean used to change tires uh check oil all this different stuff and um my granddad just showed us what the work looks like right and that's what I talk about a lot of times um is actually doing the work right is that's the hard part is checking in clocking in right so when you stay out late at night get up in the morning and do the work and do the work and so my grandfather used to open his Grand gas station at six a.m when me and my brother wanted shoes or sneakers or whatnot to hoop my parents both worked my granddad used to have a lot of money in his pocket and his front pocket he used to keep cash this big knot of money so we knew my granddaddy had it we knew he had it we used to like Papa we want some shoes we want some shoes and my granddad would be like come to work at the service station for a week come for the weekend so it made me appreciate the work so I'm grateful to him for that there's a there's a lot of really great stories in there and uh one of my favorite was uh you and CJ took a cigarettes from like you started anybody in here from North Carolina okay nice where you from boss Raleigh 919 all right so I'm from Winston-Salem uh around that area they call it Tobacco Road right so there's a big plant in Winston-Salem called RJ Reynolds so that's where a lot of my family works so my field trips when I was a kid was to tobacco plants seriously like Joe Campbell used to be at the school like everybody is like smoking smoking cigarettes was a thing like a real big thing and so um my grandmother died when I was seven from lung cancer right and so for me as a kid when I saw cigarettes that meant cancer right just that's what it translated and so my grandfather when he was at the service station he would always be smoking cigarettes and I'd be like no no no no no and so me and my brother would like take his cigarettes and throw them away as a kid you don't know how expensive cigarettes are right so my granddaddy boy when he called us he was about to kill us and we're like Papa we just trying to save your life and you know so that's that's sort of what we did all the time until we saw how much that cost I remember you know my uh it's you look back and stuff you do when you're younger and like the thing with my my grandmother on one side was in a wheelchair she was a nursing home and so like I would go around and light everybody up at like eight nine years old and sit in the Smokers Lounge with all of them just didn't know nobody you know and they'd be like hey you know probably ask you if you wanted to smoke right they probably try to pass it to you right and so then like Elementary School we had something where it was like you know smoke out cancer or whatever and it was like Hey give this warning thing to one person in your life that smokes so I was like oh you know cool I'll give it to my grandmother and it's my dad's mother and we were headed over the nursing home and I had the certificate and he's like what the [ __ ] is that I was like I'm gonna give it to Grandma you know kerger it's this work assignment he's like bro what did you give it to him yeah she was like cool give me a Paul mall like you know there's certain things you get older you're like yeah she wasn't trying to hear that [ __ ] yeah she wasn't wasn't going to happen um the CJ stuff your brother who man like without him huh oh man my brother it's crazy he's not here he he's in town but my brother man I mean it's when I say it I have no sisters no other brothers it's just me and him my older brother like when I say ride or die I mean I didn't have playoff games where um what's his name the referee James Gucci you know they call him Gucci Mane referee oh Williams yeah look what you doing well Jake James James tried to throw my brother out of a game in Utah in Utah come to found out he left my brother when my brother was in college yeah but my brother as soon as you walk into an arena whatever you're gonna know where he is my brother he he I mean we get into it sometimes too my brother yelling at me during the game talking about my turnovers shut up shut up I was playing at OKC I was playing OKC at the time when I first came into the league and I got a couple turnovers and we coming out of coming down to court and he's standing up talking to me like he was a coach man I went so nuts on him man shut the hell you think I turned it over on purpose but that's my brother you know I mean like he he wrote it out for real yeah I'm serious like the stuff with him in the book you're like all right you know without him like oh you know all this stuff would be pointless if you don't have somebody that you can enjoy all this stuff with and I mean you've been there I mean yesterday I tell you yesterday so yesterday I had what we do Good Morning America uh a few shows a few shows this and then I got a break like from 2 30 to like six I went over to the union office right to work out guess who I went with my brother and my dad and Gene helped us rebound like my like for real like my brother and my dad I'm 18 years in this and it was I'm in there working I'm in there working but it was so dope for me because 18 years into this and I'm looking on the court and my dad and my brother who we used to be in the backyard in Winston-Salem doing this and we still doing it right now together like us no I don't want to be too forward but uh are you guys shooting around tomorrow morning I gotta I gotta see what time my day start but you know the funniest part was so at the union office you got the court down here I heard it's sick like it's so sick that they're like this is insane how nice this is yeah shout out to me and the executive committee yeah yeah the guys who the guys who who did that right right so let me tell you in the third over 38 rule we're gonna talk about that too yeah so I have to move that one back again so the court is down here right and the gym like the weight room is up here so I'm upstairs working out in the gym and I can look down and I see my brother and my dad down there playing horse arguing they so mad talking about who got what letter or whatnot it was just it was cool to see I gotta be 63 in October still think he nice [Laughter] I uh I think some people would be like all right you know if you if you mess with Chris he's gonna he's gonna hold the grudge I had no idea that UNC stuff like that has to be for Carolina kids as you point out you're number one they take forever and then when they're basically like all right now we're in yeah just a little just a little Grudge yeah I mean I'm retelling the story but like were you as you describe in the book were you waiting for them so you could tell them no absolutely absolutely but uh my son is at Carolina basketball camp right now different regime different regime right no but that that was what it was I mean you got to think about it I played JV basketball as a freshman and sophomore right and if you think back to it it was it was in their right mind Raymond Felton was a year older than me and Raymond had already committed to go to Carolina and they told me that I could come to Carolina but I have to walk on we have we had no money like that it was scholarship but nothing for me you know so go dance um you know the the thing that I you know I'll get into it with people all the time is about like all right he gets to New Orleans 20 more wins like okay and that was when I was like early I remember I just got ESPN2 I was like I think he's the best point guard in the league already and guys are like you're out of your mind uh you get to La I think it was like seven more um the OKC year I think you were given like less than one percent chance of me even making the playoffs can I ask you this is this is this story true that when you got to OKC Billy Donovan was like hey look we're going to take it easy smooth sailing rescue the whole deal and you were like [ __ ] no hell no what what was that like man we out here ain't we we out here ain't we it's uh you know what happened man uh and I still talk to Sam Presley text and talk to him and stuff uh and Shay is for real like my brother you know what I mean and that OKC situation was one of the like a blessing in disguise for me but when I got there they first they met with me they flew out to LA everybody met with me and my brother my agent and all of us we was over at CAA in this building and they like presented all this stuff to me um and they started talking about my family like we know you love your family you can go see them you can go do this and you can play this amount of games you can do this and that and I'm just looking at my brother and my age and I'm thinking like somebody do their homework I was like they they don't really know me too well because for me um it's always been a situation where obviously right all those injuries and stuff that I've endured um it's hard I can't go into a game like premeditated and be like I'm not playing right I just there's so many opportunities that have occasions that have happened and I haven't been able to play so when I can play I want to play you know so when they were saying you know play this amount of games play this minutes I was like look man I'm playing you know if I can play I want to play and so uh they they hurt me they heard me out and it worked out right and then you know the Phoenix Park like we can just keep going over it and when I look at that resume I'm like this is what I'm talking about this is what I see this is this is the reality of you like to show up and average like 15 more wins as soon as you walk in the building I'm like over 82 that's what we're talking about of course nobody wants to hear it so um I just want it to work out for you whatever it is I I really want whatever happens this off season if you guys are like dude we get it um uh listen man I mean whatever screw it I don't care I'll just I'm just being honest I genuinely appreciate it like seriously like I I really appreciate it I just like I'm never like this in any of my interviews so all right can I ask you a basket we actually have some uh listener submitted ones we'll wrap this up is that all right yeah you ask me whatever you want all right all right because we know seriously like you've been doing a lot of stuff and we appreciate you making it all right I'm okay I promise okay um here's a question this one's for me though I know you and LeBron are boys why everybody saying oh I never felt like it made any sense for you to be on the same team though with your style now grain I feel like you both would figure out a way but giving up you giving up some of those read possessions and him giving up some of those I don't know am I nuts on that theory I don't think so I mean you just never know right like it's crazy whatever situation it is I think great basketball Minds you find a way you figure it out yeah I think you guys would but it always was something where I was like I'm surprised they're in such a hurry but then sometimes I think you guys when you're just buddies you'd be like hey you know like Brandon Bass and Dwight Howard I was like okay you know oh wait didn't they bring in Jared Jack yeah no no it was uh yeah there was there were there was actually you had one of these they were like oh well they brought in Jared Jack and that's this dude and they were like yeah he'd probably still ask for a trade though I was in New Orleans yeah didn't New Orleans bring a Jared Jack and we're like problem solved [Laughter] Jack is is for real like my family yeah for real so we we played together in New Orleans and then you asked for a trade I'm I'm not on you I'm pointing out how silly it is at times where they're like no that's his boy and then you're like well I don't know yeah yeah so Jay Jack came in like at the beginning of that season when it was Monty's first year right it was Monty's first year so all that stuff um hey all these years we running together man I that that trade stuff happened after that season right yeah it was after this yeah because I met with Monty about um whether or not I was gonna stay there but I said something about it recently about how the team have been meeting with us talking about moving here and there it was all this uncertainty so people forget that our team was at the time owned by the NBA yeah and the ownership prior to that wasn't a sweet time either so yeah so I mean George drafted me appreciate you George [Laughter] all right we'll do some rapid fires here and then you're gonna take pictures with all 300 people right like I did before I'm just kidding we'll do one I really get questions from all 300. we'll do a group shot then we'll be done um all right this is from one listener best teammate you've ever had best player you've you've ever played with I guess it's two different things here yeah best teammate I've ever had probably David West yeah be West yeah other than the time with the Clippers my I think my most tenured teammates were David West and uh one of my teammates Russell Butler uh rest in peace to him So Bach that was my man yep so that's the best teammate who do you think the best player you've ever been a player oh man is have to be between like I mean I played with I play with Peak peek Blake Griffin KD KD that was a few games a few games but that was I would never know you could ask for a trade I said it Chris didn't I like Katie by the way James was unbelievable uh he had that 60-point triple double and then book book man what'd you say man nothing nothing no you guys Jalen Brunson that's my man that's yeah so Jalen I'll tell you a quick story about Jalen y'all so lucky to have Jalen here y'all so lucky to have Jalen here and you I'm sure you know Leon uh the the yeah sure right yeah he owns my agent yeah that was uh that was my agent who was for sure my family for Life uh Jalen uh his dad was Leon's actually Leon's first Client First client first I didn't know that so um I don't know what year that was but one year I I was traveling and uh I wanted somebody to travel and work out with me it was Rick it was Rick Brunson so Jalen was like in the eighth grade or ninth grade or what night and was like working out and training with me man so I Jalen been nice for a long time y'all just know that y'all getting to see it now for Jalen Jalen Ben Jalen was like in the eighth and Ninth Grade playing like 17 and under Au he just didn't always had a brilliant basketball mind and him coming to New York just gave him the opportunity to run the show peace he's unbelievable man uh I went I went to the national championship game with my son uh it was the final four game on the national championship with Rick to watch Jalen play when he was in college we were in San Antonio to play against the Spurs and I got to got a chance to go watch Jayla did you think he'd be this good when you said serious absolutely what I didn't understand it's always hard for me to figure out and you would get it because you but like him understanding every angle bump step like he spent an entire life finishing its bigger people so he has every single trick but then to see him be the primary guy and still do it that's his part his footwork his pace so that's the thing like Jalen ain't the fastest you know what I'm saying he ain't the strongest but his Pace his quickness his footwork or whatnot so and he he a dog like he got grit you know what I mean um all right we have three more and then we'll send our guy in his ways at a busy busy day uh told him I'm good yeah like I got a curfew she in charge we got a curfew do we got a curfew all right all right let me keep going um this is from uh a listener and it uh says when Harden watches the play during the playoffs is that brilliant spacing or does it suck when his Defender comes to help when you drive that was that was just uh that was Doug from Milwaukee I didn't hear you say we'll let that one we'll let that one slide you're a sicko um [Applause] man listen let them them two years them two years in Houston somebody asked me about it in the interview today that first year in Houston was one of the best teams I've ever been on my entire career when I say I defense was so locked in and what's crazy is when you watched our offense he used to be so funny because I I watch basketball all day every day I know this game like the back of my hand but people used to always be like man it's just so boring to watch them play ISO right but we did that because we played the entire season to get ready for Golden State right and because you like that no I know Daryl came on my show at the time and he was like yeah we have a 78.4 chance of playing them like that sounds like he was serious and then Bob Myers came on like a couple weeks later and we shared the clip like the clip blew up and then you know if I'm Daryl I'm like what do you guys think we're doing over here like clearly they're the favorite in all the different models and then Bob was like oh my God it's hilarious that he would have it to the number but I'm like that's Daryl and I don't I don't make fun of that at all like he knew and that's what you guys did to each his own I wasn't with all the analytics either you know I mean seriously you are efficient though yeah but um it it definitely took some getting used to because I didn't know all those different numbers I'm like I test I watch basketball I can't tell you all the numbers I mean my very first team meeting when I got to Houston it was crazy because then Tony was great but then Tony was sort of say stuff to you without saying stuff to you um so we was in a team meeting and he showed us a shot chart and he said all right guys this is what we want the shot chart to look like and it was one shot outside of the paint right it was a game they had played or something like that it's the year before so it was basically you know it was these threes and we shoot these straight UPS yeah and he didn't say he didn't tell me don't shoot mid ranges but this is what we want guys and so uh it took some getting used to but we actually figured out a balance right we figured out a balance well to take that away from you is actually a mistake and I no seriously the mid-range stuff and I even thought like again more certain the finals run like I thought you and Booker were kind of zagging in a way where now you're starting to attack places that for six months nobody's used to defending like I do wonder if we're in some kind of evolutionary period where post touches may actually matter again I know that sounds crazy but it's just kind of some of the stuff that I'm seeing and thinking about more when I watch this funny man all right we can talk basketball all day when the league changed to a drop and all this different stuff but the reason why I've always got to the mid-range at least now at this point my career honestly is because if I get all the way to the basket and it's a seven foot guy standing by the rim I feel like I'm giving him the advantage like seriously it's just that simple if you're giving up this shot right here why wouldn't I shoot it right here why dribble all the way to the goal and give the tall guy that Advantage right it was that simple and that's why when I watch scoop I'm like that reminds me of somebody oh screw Henderson yeah oh he'll dunk on you well he'll do that too but like when he has that snake to your bowl then he kind of keeps you on the hip yeah and that kind of stuff like his three numbers aren't very good there's some weird shooting numbers if you go through you're like wait what the [ __ ] but like when I see him pull up and look that crisp on getting to that mid-range yeah and and either messing with the guy and drop or keeping the trail defender on his back hip like it reminds me of you I started doing that my second year in the league like I literally just came up with that one day of practice with Tyson Chandler just because at that point my career people used to go under screens all the time and so defense was a lot different then and so I just in practice I started snaking the screen and what it did was it forced the two on one right everybody like don't know basketball like what the hell is he talking about but it forced the two on one because the guy guard me would end up being on my back Tyson Chandler would roll and now I was a lot more athletic at the time but either I was on the rim or I was throwing a lob to Tyson our last one I did get a new place in LA if you want to split utilities if you end up professionally living there that's all you need I know you have a place there you don't really yeah I already have a home there my wife and my kids live there yeah well you know sometimes you need to escape [Laughter] fun you guys know I'm a huge fan so I'm biased but it was great to let you know things going through the book and uh give it up to Chris Paul [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Ryen Russillo

Views: 101,419

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Id: avhbU_Lhebk

Length: 36min 9sec (2169 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 22 2023