Tag: Fox Sport News

Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco is headed back to trial.

An appeals court in the Dominican Republic ordered a new trial for Franco on Tuesday, months after he was convicted of sexually abusing a minor, according to the Associated Press. Franco’s attorneys appealed his two-year suspended sentence and pushed to have his sentence overturned.

Advertisement

A new panel of judges will now oversee Franco’s case.

“The court understood that there were many flaws, many omissions … many issues, and decided to send the case to a new trial,” Franco’s attorney, Teodosio Jáquez, told the Associated Press.

Franco was found guilty of sexual abuse of a minor in June. He was accused of having a four-month relationship with a 14-year-old girl and transferring thousands of dollars to her mother to consent to the illegal relationship. He received a two-year suspended prison sentence for an illegal sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl, which allowed him to remain free so long as he meets certain conditions. Prosecutors had been seeking a five-year sentence.

The minor’s mother was also convicted on sex trafficking charges and received a 10-year prison sentence. The appeals court on Tuesday also granted the mother a new trial.

Franco has had several other legal issues since returning to the Dominican Republic, including accusations from two other girls. He was detained by police and sent to a mental health facility at his family’s urging in September.

“In a new trial, the procedures will be reevaluated,” prosecutor José Martínez Montan said, via the Associated Press. “We won the case in the first trial, and we expect the same in the new trial.”

Advertisement

Franco signed an 11-year, $182 million deal with the Rays in 2022, which set a team record at the time. He was positioned as the cornerstone of the franchise and was quickly emerging as one of the younger faces of Major League Baseball.

In 2023, he landed on administrative leave and then on the restricted list as allegations came out against him. His MLB career is on hold indefinitely, and he remains on MLB’s restricted list as his contract runs out. A sex crimes conviction against a minor would be a significant obstacle preventing Franco from securing a work visa to enter the United States again, meaning his MLB career is likely over if he does not win his new trial.

Advertisement

It’s unclear when Franco or the minor’s mother will be due back in court or when the new trials will begin. Neither was present in court Tuesday.

ORLANDO, Fla. — There were some in the industry who believed the Dodgers would be dormant this week at the MLB winter meetings. But the thing about the reigning World Series champs is that when they decide to push their chips in, they do it big.

L.A. made its first major move of this offseason on Tuesday, reportedly agreeing with All-Star closer Edwin Díaz on a three-year, $69 million contract. The deal comes with a $23 million average annual value, the highest ever for a closer.

Advertisement

Díaz comes with bona fide credentials and has been in the conversation about the game’s best reliever for the better part of the past five years. The Dodgers’ new closer had another standout year in 2025, with an electric 1.63 ERA, 98 strikeouts and 28 saves for the New York Mets.

Since the departure of the franchise’s all-time saves leader, Kenley Jansen, in 2022, the Dodgers have been looking for a shutdown arm for the ninth inning and have left no stone unturned in their attempts to find one. L.A. has gone through different combinations of closers, including Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech, Blake Treinen, Daniel Hudson and even Craig Kimbrel.

The Dodgers believed they’d found their closer of the foreseeable future last offseason, when they signed left-hander Tanner Scott to a four-year, $72 million deal. But then Scott was beyond ineffective in 2025, sporting a 4.74 ERA in 61 games, and injuries ended his season prematurely. The result was the Dodgers turning to rookie Roki Sasaki as their de facto closer en route to another World Series title.

Advertisement

And so, having lost confidence in Scott as the answer, the Dodgers renewed their search for their next closer. This time, the result is a record agreement with the top reliever on the free-agent market.

While the Dodgers landing a high-priced star is never a surprise, the fact that Díaz ended up in L.A. and not back with the Mets, like many in the sport expected, does come as a bit of a shocker. Díaz was one of the most beloved figures in the Mets’ clubhouse, with the production to match. And after the team signed right-hander Devin Williams last week, the belief was that Williams would complement Díaz as the Mets’ eighth-inning weapon.

Instead, the Mets now find themselves in a precarious position and needing to pivot, either giving Williams the closer job or turning their attention to right-hander Robert Suárez, the next-best arm still available. With Díaz headed out of town, further bullpen reinforcements in Queens will be necessary

Advertisement

According to sources, Suárez and his camp were waiting for a resolution with Díaz before signing. Now that Diaz has found his next home, expect Suárez’s market and the market for former Rays reliever Pete Fairbanks to move quickly.

Even before the addition of Díaz in the L.A. bullpen, it was hard to look at the Dodgers’ roster and find many holes. But the one major need they had has now been addressed.

With that, the back-to-back champs have made themselves even stronger as they set their eyes on a three-peat.

We are a couple of days removed from Sunday’s College Football Playoff selection, but the drama continues to unfold. Notre Dame is at the center of the conversation as they continue to discuss being left out of the CFP. Notre Dame Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua was on the Dan Patrick show on Monday and the ACC’s handling of the Playoff situation has done “permanent damage to the relationship.” Andy Staples, Ross Dellenger and Steven Godfrey discuss this shaky relationship between Notre Dame and the ACC. They also debate whether the time is coming for Notre Dame to separate itself from the ACC and make a new scheduling deal with either the Big Ten or the SEC. Plus, they chat about the rule that will go into effect next season which gives Notre Dame an automatic CFP berth if they are ranked in the Top 12. Could that rule could potentially be voided?

Advertisement

Then, the guys look to the coaching carousel, which has drastically slowed down. Penn State has finally named their new head coach. Matt Campbell, Iowa State’s head coach for the last decade, will now lead the Nittany Lions. Andy, Ross and Godfrey discuss this hire, why they like it, and what Campbell needs to do to succeed in Happy Valley.

Later, Ross discusses the groundbreaking news he broke while recording the pod. Utah has struck a private equity deal. The deal with Otro Capital could make over $500 million. Could this deal open the floodgates? The guys discuss this move and share their hesitations and expectations.

Catch up on the latest in the college football world with College Football Enquirer.

(1:23) – Notre Dame vs. the ACC

Advertisement

(7:20) – Notre Dame’s CFP guarantee in 2026

(10:22) – Should Notre Dame separate from their ACC deal?

(27:26) – Penn State hires Matt Campbell

(43:51) – Utah strikes private equity deal

Check out all the episodes of the College Football Enquirer and the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

A Bronx man was charged late Monday with the shooting of New York Jets cornerback Kris Boyd after authorities say they tracked him down via an “intensive manhunt” that concluded in Buffalo.

The New York Police Department announced Tuesday that 20-year-old Fredrick Green was detained late Monday and charged with attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon in relation to the shooting that took place in Manhattan in the early morning of Nov. 16.

Advertisement

Boyd was shot in his abdomen and hospitalized in critical condition. He’s since been released from the hospital and was able to rejoin the Jets for a visit with his teammates last week, roughly two weeks after the shooting.

Authorities track suspect down in Buffalo

U.S. Marshals and the U.S. Department of Justice announced early Tuesday that on Monday they tracked down a then unnamed “person of interest” who was suspected of being Boyd’s shooter. NYPD has since identified that suspect as Green and charged him in Boyd’s shooting.

Per the DOJ, law enforcement officials believe that Green fled New York City after the shooting to evade capture. Investigators tracked Green down in Buffalo and apprehended him from the second floor of an apartment building near the University of Buffalo early Monday morning, according to the DOJ.

Advertisement

Green surrendered after law enforcement officials surrounded the building, per the DOJ. Officials say that they searched for the firearm used in the shooting but did not find it.

Green, who was seen in NYPD custody on Tuesday, has not addressed the charges against him, and it’s not known if he has an attorney, according to the Associated Press.

Late-night confrontation led to shooting

Per law enforcement officials, the shooting took place around 2 a.m. on a Sunday outside of Manhattan restaurant following a confrontation. Police say that Boyd was out with two of his Jets teammates, Irvin Charles and Jamien Sherwood, when a group of men approached them and made fun of what they were wearing.

Advertisement

Per police, a fight then broke out that resulted in Boyd being shot. Boyd was hospitalized in critical condition, and a bullet was removed after being lodged in one of his lungs, law enforcement officials told ABC News. The incident took place on an off day for the Jets after they’d played the New England Patriots the previous Thursday night.

Boyd, 29, is a six-season NFL veteran who joined the Jets in the offseason as a backup cornerback and special teams ace. Boyd has not played for the Jets this season due to a shoulder injury that required surgery.

Philip Rivers last played in an NFL game on Jan. 9, 2021 for the Indianapolis Colts during a 27-24 wild-card loss to the Buffalo Bills. His final throw was a Hail Mary.

That’s what the quarterback-needy Colts reportedly signing Rivers to their practice squad Tuesday feels like.

Advertisement

He turned 44 Monday. It’s been close to five years since he took his last snap in the league. Now a grandfather, Rivers has spent much of his retirement coaching high school football at St. Michael Catholic in Fairhope, Alabama.

That’s where Colts rookie quarterback Riley Leonard is from. After Daniel Jones’ breakout year prematurely ended with a torn Achilles tendon in the first quarter of a 36-19 loss to the AFC South-leading Jacksonville Jaguars this past weekend, Leonard stepped in, with 2023 No. 4 overall draft pick Anthony Richardson Sr. still on injured reserve because of an orbital fracture that he suffered during a pregame warmup accident in Week 6.

Leonard played admirably in Jones’ absence, however, he reported an injury of his own Monday. The sixth-round pick, who led Notre Dame to a national championship appearance last season, is dealing with a knee issue that puts his status for Sunday’s road game against the Seattle Seahawks in question.

In desperation mode, the 8-5 and playoff-hopeful Colts reached out to Rivers. The team worked him out Monday night, according to The Athletic, which reported his practice squad signing Tuesday.

Advertisement

The Colts’ only other healthy quarterback on the roster right now is journeyman Brett Rypien, who has four career starts since going undrafted out of Boise State in 2019. Rivers, meanwhile, is an eight-time Pro Bowler and one-time NFL Comeback Player of the Year who has 240 career starts and has already pushed Indianapolis to the playoffs once before.

Regardless if he starts Sunday against the Seahawks, his return to the NFL is remarkable. These numbers paint the picture of Rivers’ head-turning comeback.

13 … current NFL head coaches Rivers is older than

Yup, that’s right. Rivers is older than more than a third of the head coaches in the league right now, including interims.

Advertisement

In fact, he’s older than both head coaches in a game he could play in Sunday. Colts head coach Shane Steichen is 40, and Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald is 38.

Rivers is also older than:

Kellen Moore, New Orleans Saints (37 years old)
Mike Kafka, New York Giants (38)
Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears (39)
Sean McVay, Los Angeles Rams (39)
Liam Coen, Jacksonville Jaguars (40)
Kevin O’Connell, Minnesota Vikings (40)
DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans (41)
Jonathan Gannon, Arizona Cardinals (42)
Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals (42)
Mike McDaniel, Miami Dolphins (42)
Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns (43)

Also of note: Rivers is older than Colts offensive coordinator Bob Cooter (41). Rivers spent the first 16 seasons of his career with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers. The North Carolina State product was selected with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2004 draft. At the time, Colts center Tanor Bortolini was 1 year and 10 months old, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Advertisement

10 … children fathered by Rivers, including one who is older than Riley Leonard

With Rivers at quarterback, he can field an entire 11-player Turkey Bowl offense with his own children. He has 10 of them: seven daughters and three sons. The eldest of the bunch, Halle, was born in July 2002, two months before Colts rookie quarterback Riley Leonard came into the world, and she now has a son.

As Rivers told Jon Gruden in May, there’s a world in which Rivers’ youngest son — who was born in October 2023 — throws a touchdown pass to Rivers’ grandson.

Rivers is one of 26 modern-era semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2026. It’s the first time he’s eligible for the Hall.

Advertisement

That said, if he’s elevated to the Colts’ active roster, his candidacy clock will reset, meaning he’ll have to wait five more years to be enshrined.

But if he remains on the practice squad, his eligibility timeline won’t be affected.

8 … years Rivers spent with Shane Steichen earlier in his career

Rivers and his new head coach go way back. For half of the signal-caller’s Chargers tenure, he overlapped with Shane Steichen, who climbed the coaching ladder with the organization. Steichen was a defensive assistant from 2011-12, an offensive quality control coach from 2014-15 and quarterbacks coach from 2016-19. He also was the team’s interim offensive coordinator during the 2019 campaign, Rivers’ final go-around with the Chargers before he spent one season with the Colts.

Advertisement

What’s more, according to former three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watt, who now works as a color analyst for CBS, Rivers ran the same offense as the Colts while coaching St. Michael Catholic this season, with his oldest son Gunner under center. By the way, Gunner is the No. 7 quarterback in the 2027 recruiting class, per the Rivals industry ranking.

4 … other NFL quarterbacks have started a game at 44 or older

Rivers would become the fifth in that category if he’s moved to the active roster and gets the nod for a Colts team that’s fighting for a playoff spot in a crowded AFC field, according to ESPN’s Evan Kaplan.

Advertisement

He’d join rare air occupied by Tom Brady (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Vinny Testaverde (Carolina Panthers), Steve DeBerg (Atlanta Falcons) and Warren Moon (Kansas City Chiefs).

Rivers was asked at his Colts introductory press conference in 2020 how long he intended to play.

“I’m not going to get carried away. I don’t think you’ll see me in the Tom Brady range,” Rivers said at the time, per The Athletic’s Jim Ayello.

Brady was 45 when he said goodbye to the NFL for good. Minds can change — clearly.

As for what Rivers is walking into, the Colts have four games left in the regular season. They’re gearing up for a gauntlet consisting of games against the 10-3 Seahawks, the 9-4 49ers, the 9-4 Jaguars and the 8-5 Texans.

8 … quarterbacks who have started for Colts since Rivers’ last game with the team

There’s been a revolving door at the position since Andrew Luck’s shocking retirement ahead of the 2019 season. The Colts opted for short-term rentals like Rivers until they took a big swing drafting Richardson in 2023. That experiment hasn’t panned out so far.

Advertisement

While it appeared as if they scored on the Jones acquisition from this past offseason, the injury bug had other plans.

Now Rivers could be back in the saddle. Just look at this list, dadgummit:

4 … quarterbacks who threw for 300-plus yards in the playoffs during their final NFL game — a list that currently includes Rivers

Does Rivers still have it? That would be something. He sure held his own during the 2020 season with the Colts. That year, he went out with a bang, throwing for 309 yards and two touchdowns, albeit in a three-point loss to a young Josh Allen and his burgeoning Bills.

Rivers, according to senior NFL researcher Dante Koplowitz-Fleming, is currently one of four players in league history to put on a 300-yard passing performance in the playoffs during their final NFL game.

Advertisement

The others are Tom Brady (2022 wild-card round), John Elway (Super Bowl XXXIII during 1998 season) and Joe Montana (1994 wild-card round), per Koplowitz-Fleming.

No wonder teams have reportedly been using Rivers as their break-glass-in-case-of-emergency quarterback for years now. The Athletic’s Zak Keefer reported Monday that the Colts considered bringing Rivers out of retirement down the stretch of the 2021 season when then-starter Carson Wentz tested positive for COVID-19.

Then there’s the story about 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan preparing to turn to Rivers if his team reached the Super Bowl without a reasonable option at quarterback at the end of the 2023 season. That year, San Francisco dealt with a collection of injuries at the position, including an elbow injury to Brock Purdy that derailed the Niners’ chances in the NFC championship game versus the Eagles.

Advertisement

6,772 … number of fans reportedly in attendance for Rivers’ most recent NFL game

Speaking of that wild-card loss to the Bills, the paid attendance was reported to be 6,722 at Highmark Stadium because of COVID-19 protocols back then.

Rivers’ last touchdown pass was to tight end Jack Doyle, who retired after the 2021 season.

Yeah, it’s been a while.

The No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup of undefeated teams in the Big Ten championship game drew a massive audience for Fox. The network said Tuesday afternoon that Indiana’s 13-10 win over Ohio State had an average audience of 18.3 million viewers and was the most-watched Big Ten championship game ever.

The Hoosiers’ win netted them the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff on Sunday. Ohio State (12-1) swapped spots with Indiana (13-0) and got the No. 2 seed. The game was also a tiebreaker of sorts for the Heisman Trophy.

Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza and Ohio State QB Julian Sayin entered the game as co-favorites for the award. While Sayin was named as a finalist on Monday along with Mendoza, Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love and Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia, Mendoza is considered the clear favorite entering Saturday night’s ceremony.

Advertisement

It’s the first Big Ten title for Indiana since the Hoosiers won the conference in 1967 and went to the Rose Bowl. Indiana is headed to the Rose Bowl again this season and will meet the winner of No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Alabama on Jan. 1.

A year ago, the Big Ten title game netted 10.5 million viewers on CBS as Oregon beat Penn State to cap an undefeated season. The Ducks were the top seed in the College Football Playoff a year ago.

ESPN said later Tuesday that Georgia’s win in the SEC championship game had nearly 17 million viewers. That game could have matched or topped the Big Ten’s numbers if it was competitive. Georgia beat Alabama 28-7 and Alabama didn’t drop a spot in the playoff rankings the next day as Notre Dame was left out of the playoff in favor of Miami.

Advertisement

The ratings for this year’s Big Ten title game almost put it on par with Ohio State’s win over Michigan a week earlier. The Buckeyes’ victory over the Wolverines drew 18.4 million viewers and was the most-watched regular season game of 2025. Before that game, Ohio State’s Week 1 victory over Texas was the most-watched game of the season.

Former NFL cornerback Quentin Jammer recently revealed that in 2011, he played while drunk in at least eight of the 15 games he suited up for that season.

Jammer tweeted this shocking revelation out to the masses on X on Monday night (there’s some salty language in the message).

During the 2011 season, Jammer was in the process of going through a divorce. Those personal issues led to the drinking, Jammer said. He allowed six touchdowns that year, which was two more than his average the previous five seasons.

Advertisement

“It’s hard playing football when so much is on your mind,” Jammer admitted.

The Chargers finished that season 8-8, missing the playoffs for the second straight year under head coach Norv Turner. Jammer started 15 games in 2011 and recorded 53 total tackles, 8 passes defended and 1 fumble recovery.

Jammer was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft for the Chargers and went on to play 12 years in the league, 11 with the Chargers. Although he was never named to a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team, he was a solid defender who lasted over a decade in the NFL. That 2011 campaign was one of only three seasons where he did not snag at least one interception. Jammer was also durable as he played in at least 15 games in 10 of his 12 pro seasons. And Jammer never appeared in fewer than 11 games, which was his final year in 2013 while playing for the Denver Broncos.

Advertisement

Jammer ended his NFL career following the 2013 season. He finished with 735 career tackles, 140 passes defended, 21 interceptions (including a pick 6), 11 tackles for loss and 7 fumble recoveries.

The Chicago White Sox struggled in 2025, but help is on the way. After going 60-102 last year, Chicago won the MLB Draft lottery on Tuesday, earning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.

The White Sox entered the event with a 27.73% chance to earn the top pick in next year’s draft, the best odds of any team. Now 2026 will be the first time the White Sox pick first overall since the team drafted Hall of Famer Harold Baines in 1977.

Advertisement

Baines happened to be Chicago’s representative for this year’s lottery. It might also be worth noting that this was the first lottery since a White Sox fan became pope.

Whom will Chicago choose with the pick? UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky is currently the consensus top talent in 2026, but you really never know how the 2026 season will go or what deals might be cut in the MLB Draft.

After the White Sox, the Minnesota Twins (22.18%), Pittsburgh Pirates (16.81%), Baltimore Orioles (9.24%) and Athletics (6.55%) were the only other teams with better than 5% odds to win the draft lottery.

Those odds are, generally, determined based on a team’s record the previous season. The White Sox had a bad record in 2025 but not the worst record in baseball. That “honor” went to the Colorado Rockies, who finished 43-119. But the Rockies were not eligible for a lottery pick this season, as a rule prevents a team from picking in the lottery for more than two consecutive years.

Advertisement

The Rockies picked fourth in the 2025 draft and third in 2024, rendering them ineligible to be a lottery team in 2026. Because of that, the earliest the Rockies could pick in the 2026 MLB Draft was 10th.

The Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels were also ineligible for the lottery because, as teams that pay revenue-sharing dollars rather than receive, they cannot have a lottery pick in consecutive years. The Nationals picked first in 2025, selecting high school shortstop Eli Willits, while the Angels picked second, taking UC Santa Barbara pitcher Tyler Bremner. Like the Rockies, the earliest those two teams could pick was 10th.

2026 MLB Draft order

1. Chicago White Sox
2. Tampa Bay Rays
3. Minnesota Twins
4. San Francisco Giants
5. Pittsburgh Pirates
6. Kansas City Royals
7. Baltimore Orioles
8. Athletics
9. Atlanta Braves
10. Colorado Rockies
11. Washington Nationals
12. Los Angeles Angels
13. St. Louis Cardinals
14. Miami Marlins
15. Arizona Diamondbacks
16. Texas Rangers
17. Houston Astros
18. Cincinnati Reds
19. Cleveland Guardians
20. Boston Red Sox
21. San Diego Padres
22. Detroit Tigers
23. Chicago Cubs
24. Seattle Mariners
25. Milwaukee Brewers
26. Atlanta Braves
27. New York Mets

Advertisement

The Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees all moved out of the first round after exceeding the second competitive-balance-tax threshold, which pushes their first pick back 10 spots.

The Braves earned a second first-round pick due to catcher Drake Baldwin winning Rookie of the Year in 2025.

Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue refuted reports that he and 12-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul weren’t on speaking terms for several weeks leading up to Paul’s dismissal from the team on Dec. 3, and that Lue refused to meet with Paul.

“We were talking,” Lue said Tuesday.

Advertisement

“I mean, he played. How he going to play if I’m not talking to him? There was a stretch when we said he wasn’t going to play, he was going to be out of the rotation. It was tough for him because he’s a competitor and what the game means to him and what he brings every single day. But after that, it wasn’t really much.”

Paul is 40 years old and in his 21st season in the NBA. The 2025-26 campaign is expected to be his final go-around in the league. He didn’t play because of a coach’s decision five times last month but was playing as recently as Dec. 1. In 16 games with the Clippers, he was averaging a career-low 2.9 points and 3.3 assists in 14.3 minutes per game.

The Clippers, who are now 6-18, sent him home while they were in Atlanta during a road trip at the beginning of December. Paul broke the news on Instagram. Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank then confirmed in a statement that Paul is no longer with the team, noting that Paul isn’t to blame for the team’s “underperformance” and that he is “a legendary Clipper.”

Hours later last Wednesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Paul’s leadership style, specifically a willingness to hold management, coaches and players accountable, “clashed” with the Clippers, and that Paul had not spoken to Lue “for several weeks.”

Advertisement

When Frank met with reporters later that day, he said he had a three-hour meeting with Paul before his dismissal while also saying Paul “has a very good leadership style” but that some roster moves just don’t work, per Clippers reporter Justin Russo.

“This one just didn’t work at this time,” Frank said this past Wednesday, according to Russo.

Lue said Tuesday that he wasn’t part of the final conversation as Paul was on his way out.

“I wasn’t there,” he said.

A reporter asked why Paul’s situation was irreconcilable, referencing other times the Clippers have sent players home before bringing them back.

Advertisement

“You got to ask Lawrence,” Lue said.

Lue said he had no problem with Paul, whom he also coached earlier in his career while as an assistant for the “Lob City” Clippers from 2013-14, pointing out “that’s my guy” while referring to him as a friend and referencing a 40-minute phone conversation he had with Paul.

“You don’t want to see that happen to anybody no matter what the circumstances are.”

Clippers players, notably stars Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, were shocked by Paul’s dismissal. Lue acknowledged Tuesday that his team isn’t happy about it.

Advertisement

“It’s their teammate. It’s a guy they go to war with every single day, and he was part of us,” Lue said. “So it’s tough. The organization just made the decision to do it, but we got to move on. We got to try to win some games.”

Lue said he considers Paul a Hall of Famer and one of the top five or six point guards to ever play the game. He’s confident the Wake Forest product’s legacy will still endure.

Paul has played for seven franchises and, and even though an NBA championship has escaped his résumé, he’s collected a laundry list of accomplishments, including 11 All-NBA selections and nine NBA All-Defensive Team nods. Additionally, Paul has led the league in assists five times and steals six times.

Advertisement

He started his career with the New Orleans Hornets. They selected him No. 4 overall in the 2005 draft. He won NBA Rookie of the Year in 2006, jumpstarting his six-season run with the Hornets that went through the 2010-11 season.

Since, he’s suited up for the Los Angeles Clippers (2011-17), Houston Rockets (2017-19), Oklahoma City Thunder (2019-20), Phoenix Suns (2020-23), Golden State Warriors (2023-24), San Antonio Spurs (2024-25) and now the Clippers again.

In an interview with People magazine released Tuesday, Paul said that he’s “at peace with everything.”

“I’m home. My daughter had tryouts yesterday. My nephew had a basketball game. My son has a game coming up on the 12th,” Paul said, via People.

Advertisement

He also noted: “More than anything, I’m excited about being around and getting a chance to play a small role in whatever anything looks like next.”