Chris Paul recently missed 14 straight games after injuring his thumb in a mid-January game against the Thunder. The Los Angeles Clippers point guard had surgery and sat for over a month. In his second game back, he posted 15 points and 17 assists against the Charlotte Hornets, missing a triple-double by a single rebound. Paul wasn’t an All-Star this year, the first time he hasn’t been in 10 seasons, but he’s still playing like one—averaging 17.4 points, 9.8 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per.
During his time out, Paul rehabbed religiously, even doing so in New Orleans during teammate DeAndre Jordan’s Slam Dunk Contest appearance. It’s his approach to everything—head on, full-speed ahead. Despite Paul’s injury (and Blake Griffin’s, whose own 18-game absence overlapped with Paul’s), the Clippers are 12 games over .500 and barely out of the fourth spot in the West.
Off the court, Paul remains active as well, as a longtime Jordan brand endorser, president of the Players Association, and something of a clothes horse. “I’m a hoarder,” he readily declares. He recently teamed up with LA-based label Five Four as the face of their Summer ‘17 campaign. If he works as hard at this as he does everything else, success is sure to follow there as well. We talked to him about his new partnership as well as all things Clippers.
(This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.)
So start off with how this partnership with Five Four came about—you must get offered a zillion things.
Man, it fit. Sometimes partnerships also come along with relationships. It’s crazy, when I first got traded out here I had an opportunity to meet the guys that run Five Four, and they had made these Lob City T-shirts, and I was like, "Man, I need some of these T-shirts." And then after getting a chance to know ‘em I saw all the gear that they made like the hoodies and the jackets and all that stuff like that, and as they continued to grow over the years I kept that relationship with them. And as my style has evolved, it just seemed like an amazing partnership.
Speaking about your style evolving, do you look back at photos of yourself in your early days in the league and say, “What was I doing?”
I absolutely do. And part of that comes with growth and seeing what you like and different things like that. For me, I don’t know, I feel like my style in clothes and different things like that has changed just like my game—my game has changed, my life has changed. When I came in then, I was 19-20 years old, now I’m 30-31 years old, I’m a father. I’ve seen different things and I love where I’m at now. And back then, I’m tellin’ you, I loved where I was. [Laughs] You couldn’t tell me what I was wearin’ back then wasn’t fly.
Are you the type who changes out his closet from season to season, or is it more gradual?
Nah, it’ a gradual shift, but a lot of times I keep stuff too. I’m one of those people I like what I like. I’m a firm believer in don’t just wear stuff that you think other people will like. I wear what I wear because I like it, I like how I feel—I don’t wear anything because I’m like this is what people want to see me photoed in—no, no.
You’ve been with Jordan for a long time now. What’s your sneaker closet like these days? Or is it a separate house at this point?
Oh, it’s crazy. It’s...it’s a separate entity, but that’s it. I just love sneakers though.
Do you even have a guess of how many pairs you have now?
No guess. I have no idea.
And do you wear pairs twice?
Yeah, I wear stuff twice! What you realize, obviously as I got older, when I come out with my own shoe I’m so involved in the design of it, everything, the feel, the look, the little entities of my family members or different accomplishments all go into my shoes, so I’m like a fan of sneakers and the sneaker world. But anybody that’s fully engulfed in sneakers, if they have a shoe closet or a shoe room, you start to realize, like when I go to practice, there’s a certain shoe that’s in the rotation. You know what I mean? Unless I’m going to an event or going to a game, I’m not wearing an exclusive pair of XIs that I go to practice every day.
"I’m a hoarder. And it’s up to my wife then to try to get me to get rid of stuff. I got a storage space out here with shoes from my rookie year when I was with Nike. I’m absolutely a hoarder. And I only wear my game shoes once."
Do you hold onto pairs from games too?
There’s no doubt about it, I’m a hoarder. And it’s up to my wife then to try to get me to get rid of stuff. I got a storage space out here with shoes from my rookie year when I was with Nike. I’m absolutely a hoarder. And I only wear my game shoes once.
Switching over to basketball, you had a stretch where you sat out for 14 games—did that let you look at the team in a different way?
No, but it just made me more hungry to get back. And at the end of the day when Blake is out and we play, that’s not our team. When I’m out and we play, that’s not our team. We all know what we look like until everybody gets healthy and now we get to see what we’re made of.
It seems like over the past couple years injuries have been rough for you guys; when it happens is it hard not to fall into an “oh no, not again” mindset?
No, because we’ve been through it. We’re strong-minded and stuff like that, it’s just “let’s go.”
Has it impressed you as a point guard what Russell Westbrook has been doing this year?
Yeah. Moreso than the numbers, you could care less about the numbers, it’s just about his competitive nature.
You’re up to game 60, you’ve got a quarter of the season left, you’re a game out of the four spot—what would make you comfortable heading into the playoffs?
As long as we’re playing the right way. I didn’t know we were a game out of the fourth spot until you said that. I had no clue. Like for me, I guess that’s because I’ve been in the league for a while now, it’s all about making sure we’re playing the right way going into the playoffs. Guys that have been in the league and teams, they know, when you’re playing the right way and the spirit is right, nothing else matters.
What was it like getting that All-Star break off this year? Was it relaxing to get away for a little bit?
No, I wasn’t off. I still had to go down to New Orleans for Player’s Association meetings, I had some State Farm things that we did, I had a couple YMCAs we went to down in the New Orleans area, and then I was rehabbing. It wasn’t off. I was working out, rehabbing, trying to get back.
How much do you like still getting back to New Orleans?
Oh, it was amazing. My sister-in-law is from New Orleans; it was good to get back there and see the people. That’s the thing I miss most about New Orleans is the people.
I wanted to ask you about Paul Pierce. What’s it been like having Paul there?
Paul’s been great, Paul’s been amazing. You don’t really know some guys especially when they’re on other teams and whatnot, but when Paul got here—I’m usually the first one to the gym every day, but Paul has been with me every day. Our trainer, our sprint guy, always talks about it, it’s no secret why he’s been who he’s been for as long as he had, for the career he’s had. Even this morning, Paul was in here early, working. I don’t know when was the last time Paul played, you know what I mean, but the mindset, that’s why he’s so well respected.
What are you looking for out of this summer? It seems like every summer now has been crazy in terms of player movement.
I’m trying to get into this summer healthy. Last summer, I was doing hand rehab. I’m not even thinking that far in advance—I’m being dead serious right now.
Hopefully it’s a while before your summer starts this year.
Exactly. Exactly.
