The photo popped up on Chris Paul’s Instagram feed, sparking both speculation and amusement over familiar teammates reuniting unexpectedly.

The screenshot revealed Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan all sharing laughs shortly after the Clippers unexpectedly cut ties with Paul. Truly, the picture was worth a thousand words.

Although the trio never won an NBA title amid overlapping injuries, Paul, Griffin, and Jordan ushered in “Lob City” with enough highlights to ensure six consecutive playoff appearances (2012-17). At forty years old, Paul rejoined the Clippers ahead of the 2025-26 season for a diminished role in his 21 year. Both parties initially expected a positive mentorship presence and a farewell tour. Instead, the Clippers parted ways amid differences about Paul’s demanding leadership style on a veteran-laden team.

In a wide-ranging interview with EssentiallySports, Jordan provided a photo caption to the viral Instagram post.

“It was him venting to us about the situation,” Jordan told EssentiallySports. “We were sharing stories about our time together. We were hoping that he would end up on a team later on after the trade deadline, and he could potentially have a chance to play and/or compete for a championship.”

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

Those wishes didn’t happen. The Clippers sent Paul to the Toronto Raptors before the NBA trade deadline (Feb. 4), only for the franchise to waive him shortly before NBA All-Star weekend (Feb. 13). Paul announced his retirement afterwards.

“It took me a while to really accept that he retired,” Jordan said. “He was such an impactful person on my career and the trajectory of my career. So nobody can tell me anything bad about CP. That’s one of my brothers.”

After once catching Paul’s lobs and demanding expectations,  Jordan reciprocated the favor with laughs and support during their FaceTime call. It seems fitting in terms of timing. In his 18 NBA season, the 37-year-old Jordan has largely mentored New Orleans Pelicans prospects Zion Williamson and Derik Queen by offering both positive reinforcement and constructive criticism.

The Pelicans (19-43) enter Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers (36-24) with the Western Conference’s third-to-worst record. But the Pelicans credit Jordan for embracing and thriving in a mentorship-focused role.

“He elevated our program tremendously,” Pelicans interim head coach James Borrego said. “It’s his leadership. He’s a grown-up in the room. He’s won at a high level. He has a high standard. He’s the first one to show up. Pregame, he does his work. Then you add the leadership piece. He’s wrapped his arms around the vets. He’s wrapped his arms around the young guys. He’s had a massive impact in our locker room. And so I can’t even put that into words.”

Borrego still tried. He spoke enthusiastically for over two minutes on how Jordan has helped Williamson’s rebounding and has “defended at a high level.” Although Jordan has played in only seven games, he has averaged 4.3 points on 75% shooting from the field and 7.0 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per night. Jordan has also started in six of those seven games.

“He’s brought us an edge and a physicality,” Borrego said of Jordan. “He’s a massive and tremendous communicator. I think that’s what we’re trying to get our young guys to develop more. That’s the ability to communicate, especially for bigs. It’s massive. To look like a big defense or be a good defense, you have to talk, especially from that 5 spot. He does it as well as anybody.”

Jordan spoke to EssentiallySports about that mentorship role, Williamson’s play, and Queen’s development. Jordan also spoke about Paul’s retirement, Griffin’s analyst role at Amazon Prime, and his outlook on how many more NBA seasons he hopes to play.

Editor’s note: The following one-on-one conversation has been edited and condensed.

When considering the team’s record and your role on this team, how do you evaluate everything so far?

Jordan: “My role on this team is to be a veteran locker room presence. So whenever I do get the opportunity to go out there and play, I lead by example and do whatever I can to help the team. But my role kind of stays the same. That is very easy and great for me. There’s not a lot of change.”

Why is it easy for you?

Jordan: “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve embraced that locker room leader and mentor kind of role. Whenever my number is called, I’ll be ready to play and contribute in any way that I can in the days that I’m not playing. I encourage my teammates. I’ll criticize them when it’s necessary. I let them know about things that I see on the floor. I give them knowledge back. Then there are times where I do need to be on the floor. When I’m doing that, I do what I can to get guys like Trey [Murphy], Dejounte [Murray], Saddiq [Bey], and [Jeremiah] Fears open looks. Then I go out and rebound the basketball and defend.”

What is the encouraging and critical feedback that you give them?

Jordan: “Just stick with it. It’s a long journey. It’s a process. We started at the bottom of the pack for a very long time. Then we started to get some guys back from injuries and piled up some wins a little bit. It’s all about building. We don’t want to be complacent and okay with losing nine or 10 games in a row. But we’ve had a lot of young guys who are playing big minutes early. So it’s about being able to get them some familiarity with the NBA and the speed and the sets and coverages. So that next year when we’re a healthy team, and these guys have a full rookie season under their belt, we’ll be better.”

How have you seen Zion handle the day-to-day and frustration when he was out with his various injuries earlier in the season?

Jordan: “I’ve seen him work his ass off. A lot of things that are sometimes said about him with his injuries are not his fault. Guys can work their ass off, and still kind of get unlucky. But earlier this year, when he had injuries, we all saw how hard he worked to get back and how engaged he was with trying to get back and going through the entire process. He played in our stay-ready games, and that helped him and helped us. Ultimately, when he’s healthy, we’re a better team.”

He missed the game against the Clippers [on Sunday], but what have you seen from Zion since then that explains his consistent play and availability?

Jordan: “Excitement. When he’s on the floor, we’re a different team. He’s a tough cover. He’s really hard to guard. It’s really great to see him out there. With him seeing results with how healthy he is, he wants to work even harder to stay on the floor, stay healthy for himself, and to stay healthy for his teammates.”

James said you’ve helped Zion specifically with his rebounding. What have you done?

Jordan: “Zion is one of the most gifted and athletic guys in this league. He likes to be challenged. From a superstar, that’s very rare. He leans into it. So when we see games where he has three rebounds, we challenge him. He responds, and then gets 12 rebounds. It’s good to be able to see him accept that constructive criticism and want to get better.”

James also credited you for helping Derik. What have you seen from him?

Jordan: “Just maturity, man. You’re asking for a 20-year-old who just turned 21 last month to start at the center position in the Western Conference in the NBA. That is a very tough position with the guys that you see, like [Nikola] Jokić, [Rudy] Gobert, [Alperen] Sengün, Chet [Holmgren], [Isaiah] Hartenstein.”

“You’re looking at them and asking [Derik] to start. Then you have Jeremiah coming in and starting in the Western Conference against Jamal Murray and Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander]. So it’s tough, man. I commend those guys a lot for coming in and being ready. It’s about having them be prepared and have them become students of the game, even more so than what they have been, and setting a new example. We also have Herb Jones out there. When Herb Jones is on the floor, we’re all very comfortable.”

James also said you’re helping guys with communicating more on defense and that you had shared that you weren’t always vocal earlier in your career. What have you stressed on how you all make that a habit?

Jordan: “We talk trash a little off the floor in our group chat and in the weight room. That should translate on the floor. Whichever team talks the most, those results matter. We’re starting to build on that a lot more. Sometimes, we have our lapses. But I think, for the most part, that guys are doing a really good job with being uncomfortable and trusting their voices on the floor. It’s just about communicating, no matter what. It can be, ‘I’m coming in for you. Who do you got?’ It can be small things – a play off a free throw or a missed assignment. Then we start to hold each other accountable. I think those things come a really, really long way when it comes to this game.”

You told Derik to stand up during his post-game interview following a great game. Why was that important to you?

Jordan: “Especially for a younger player like that, I want to build his confidence. ‘You had a really good game, so stand up on that. You played his ass off that night. And I know you’re going to be here for a long time.’ So I think it was just about building those professional and adult habits into the young fellas. People did it for me. So I’m now passing it down, and doing it for them.”

I also saw you protected him a little bit after he and [Andre] Drummond got into it…

Jordan: (interrupts) “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I gotta protect my guys, whether it be DQ, Trae, or Zion. We’re brothers. I hang out with these guys more than I hang out with my family throughout the season. So I got to have their back.”

You’ve had an accomplished career. But considering your different role, what was the key to having a strong game and dunk against Philly after not playing since the beginning of the season?

Jordan: “Being a pro and staying ready. We work our asses off. The guys that don’t play a ton of minutes, we play in our league after shootaround. It’s intense. It’s competitive. We talk a lot of sh—. It gets physical. We’re trying to implement that game setting. So whenever myself, Micah [Peavy], or Bryce [McGowens], or Hawk [Jordan Hawkins] get thrown in there, we’re ready to play and are not missing a beat. So I owe a lot to that league into how we’ve been playing.”

How do you compare your dunk over Drummond to all the other ones you’ve had in your career?

Jordan: (laughs) “I’ve had quite a few dunks in my career. I probably got about 307 jumps left. So we’ll see how I can space those out. We’ll see.” (laughs)

You shared a tribute to CP on IG about his retirement news. How did you process all of that?

Jordan: “It took me a while to really accept that he retired. He was such an impactful person on my career and the trajectory of my career. So nobody can tell me anything bad about CP. That’s one of my brothers. We played together for some years.”

“We also are extremely close friends. I’m happy for him. If he’s at peace with his decision, I’m happy for him. I wish it would’ve ended a lot differently. I’m sure a lot of people do. But at the end of the day, things happen for a reason. He’s a first ballot Hall-of-Famer. He’ll be wearing a jacket someday. I’m just happy that I was able to be a teammate of his. He’s one of my best friends.”

With you wishing it would’ve ended differently, how did it land with you when you heard how things played out with CP and the Clippers?

Jordan: “That was their decision. There are a lot of sides to the story of that. I don’t really try to get too much into that. But I wish that it ended differently for him because he’s done so much for the game. I selfishly feel like he deserved a different outcome in his last year. But I’ve talked to him numerous times. He’s at peace.”

CP shared the epic screenshot of the FaceTime chat with you and Blake after the Clippers parted ways. What can you share about what you all discussed on that FaceTime?

Jordan: “It was him venting to us about the situation. We were sharing stories about our time together. We were hoping that he would end up on a team later on, after the trade deadline, and he could potentially have a chance to play and/or compete for a championship. We all spent so much time together. Our bond is going to be unbreakable. I really do cherish my time with those guys. It was great to finally connect with them and chop it up.”

You wrote to CP on your IG, “Thank you for ALWAYS pushing me even when I wasn’t trying to hear it.” What examples come to mind?

Jordan: “All of them. We know how CP is. He’s a competitor. He wants to bring the best out of everybody. Sometimes when you’re a young and immature player, that stuff rubs you the wrong way. But I thank him for doing that. I thank him to this day when we talk at times.”

“If he weren’t a dude that did that, I wouldn’t have been as hard on myself or be as hungry as I was because I needed him to push me a little bit more. I appreciate that. When he ended up leaving for Houston [in 2017], I still had that fire and that hunger. I was a student of the game. I wanted to be better. Chris, Blake, and I really pushed each other. I really appreciate those times.”

Speaking of Blake, what do you think of how he’s doing as an NBA analyst?

Jordan: “I’m happy for my dude. He’s killing it. I had a chance to go out there and do some stuff with them before the All-Star break. It was pretty fun. You know how talented Blake is on and off the floor. He’s extremely funny. He’s super smart. And he studies the game. They have a really good time together. They got a really great crew. I had a really great time with those guys. We did a little set, and I chopped it up. Then we did a segment on the dunks from Blake and me. It was fun. I had a really good time.”

Why do you think Blake blends in his humor, his candor, and his Xs and Os analysis so well together?

Jordan: “I think from watching other sets, you can see the things that you like and don’t like about certain people when they talk about players. Then you can bring your own spin to it. I think there is a way to do it in a good way. They’re doing a really great job over there. I really had a good time with those guys. They made it super easy and fun. I’m sure I’ll do it again at some point.”

How much longer do you want to play? [Jordan is in his 18 NBA season]

Jordan: “I’m so close to 20 [season]. That is a goal of mine. But we’ll see. I’m taking it a year at a time. I really am fortunate to be with this group of guys here. I’m learning a lot. I think this is teaching me patience. So I’m trying to take those lessons and really understand them.”

What have you learned about how to be patient?

Jordan: “I’ve always had a knack for communicating with guys. I think we have such an interesting dynamic. We got young guys. We got guys in their prime. We have so many different guys. So it’s about figuring out how I’m going to communicate and get through to each of these guys and push them, keep them mentally focused and locked in and optimistic, even with the way our season is going at times and the way guys’ minutes fluctuate and their roles fluctuate. So I feel like I’ve been able to do that pretty well. So we’ll see. Sometimes, I try to put my coaching hat on and see how I would do things if I were ever crazy enough to coach. It’s been interesting.”

What do you think? Do you want to coach?

Jordan: “I don’t know yet. We’ll see. People tell me I should do it. But I’m not listening right now. I’m still being a player right now. So we’ll see what happens. It’s been fun. I’m lucky, dude. We get to play in the NBA. It’s my 18 year. I’m super lucky.”

Have you thought of any other post-career possibilities?

Jordan: “I’m not sure yet. There’s broadcasting stuff. There’s coaching. There’s playing golf. There’s getting a flip phone and running away. We’ll see. I’m having fun with it. I’m enjoying it, man. I love the game so much. I love to compete. I love to be able to teach and give back to the younger guys. Being in the NBA is amazing. The NBA does such a great job of expanding the game and taking it to so many different countries. It’s cool to be a part of that.”

Last summer, you put out a spoof retirement announcement. How did you come up with the idea?

Jordan: “We were throwing around ideas. It kind of just happened. We were messing around. I was thinking, ‘Let’s do a fake retirement video.’ I was sitting around and messing around. Someone was like, ‘Are you really reading that book?’ I was blowing off time. Then the idea happened. Then my wife was able to get in and poke some fun at it. So we made a big, fun thing out of it. It was good.”

 Mark Medina is an NBA insider for EssentiallySports. Follow him on X, Blue Sky, Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.