Patrick Beverley Reveals Why He Shoved Chris Paul

Patrick Beverley reveals why he shoved Chris Paul during LA Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns WCF
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Arriving to the LA Clippers as part of the Chris Paul trade, Patrick Beverley's final act in a Clippers uniform was a shove to Paul's back. Ejected in the final minutes of the Western Conference Finals for the hostile act, Beverley would ultimately be traded from the Clippers that offseason. While he did publicly apologize to Chris Paul on Twitter, Beverley had never detailed the incident until a recent podcast appearance.

On the latest edition of JJ Redick's podcast, Beverley was asked what specifically happened between him and Chris Paul in the final moments of that game. "You know Chris, so people don't understand. Me and Chris, what we have has been going on since high school," Beverley said. "A lot of people don't understand the backstory, but me and Chris, we definitely understand the backstory. I got invited to a LeBron James camp, the big Nike LeBron James camp when we was in college... Chris Paul was there. I killed him. Destroyed him... Then I see him in the NBA, so of course that energy is gonna roll over to the NBA."

After setting the backstory, Beverley said, "Chris, he does slick shit. People don’t know. That’s a dirty little motherf****r, man. Chris know that, too... And I love CP, bro. I love what he bring to the game. I love, like - he changed the game also. So you have to give him all his props. But like, he knows how to finesse the system too, and you gotta give him credit for that too. So it was just one of those I had to get off my chest. And I called him right after, too."

Beverley finished by saying that it wasn't one specific thing Chris Paul said that led to the shove, but rather the cultivation of Beverley's frustration throughout the game with the antics Paul gets away with. The Suns would ultimately win that game, and advance to the NBA Finals before losing four consecutive games in route to Milwaukee's championship.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.