"I Hope He Doesn't Win An NBA Championship": JJ Redick Makes Interesting Comments On Chris Paul's Legacy

A decade ago, Chris Paul and JJ Redick were a fiery combo that made the “Lob City” Los Angeles Clippers a fun team to watch. Now, Redick has transitioned to coaching, and Paul has let the world know that he is playing in his final NBA season.

Ahead of a matchup between Redick’s LA Lakers and Paul’s Clippers on Tuesday, Redick was asked to comment on the legacy of his former teammate. The competitor that he is, Redick framed his answer from the perspective of a head coach staying loyal to his current squad.

“I hate saying this: I hope he doesn’t win an NBA championship. Because that would mean the Clippers win an NBA championship and we don’t,” Redick said with a chuckle.

The 15-year NBA veteran then shifted to a more reverent tone as he summed up CP3’s career. “To me, he’s the ultimate winner,” Redick said of Paul. “There are guys who have won championships that I wouldn’t say are winning players. And there are guys who have never won a championship that, to me, are the ultimate winners. That’s who Chris Paul is.”

During Paul’s first stint with the Clippers in the 2010s, he made the All-NBA team, All-Defensive lineup, and All-Star roster for five consecutive seasons, along with figuring heavily in the MVP conversation throughout that span. In the 21st season of his illustrious career, the 6-foot floor general is second all-time in both assists and steals, trailing only the great John Stockton in those categories.

Despite 11 All-NBA selections and 12 All-Star nods, Paul’s legacy takes a hit from critics due to the absence of a championship on his résumé. The closest that CP3 got to a title was in 2021, when he and Devin Booker led the Phoenix Suns to the NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Suns won the first two games of that series, but ended up dropping the last four contests as Giannis Antetokounmpo laid claim to his first NBA championship and Finals MVP trophy.

Clearly, the lack of championship gold has not swayed Redick’s perspective of Paul, who has built a reputation as one of the fiercest competitors and toughest leaders the NBA has ever seen. Redick will do everything he can to make sure the Clippers don’t win at the Lakers’ expense, but when all is said and done, the purple and gold squad’s head coach knows the Point God’s place in history.