Paul was 'tired of dribbling,' disappointed in Clippers' team culture

ESPN aired the first part of a Chris Paul docu-series Thursday night, covering the superstar point guard's offseason and the soul-searching conversations that led up to his decision to leave the Los Angeles Clippers and join the Houston Rockets.

One of those conversations took place between Paul and Jay-Z, with Paul weighing his desire to remain settled in Los Angeles against his desire to find a better basketball situation.

"I obviously like where my kids go to school, my brother's kids go to school, and all that stuff," Paul said. "We love it out here. Life is great.

"But basketball ... boy. Like, the whole thing with our team - a lot of people see the wins and losses and all that stuff - but it's the culture of our team."

Paul specified his frustration in a separate conversation with Disney CEO Bob Iger, who he calls a mentor and close friend.

"I guess because I knew different before I got out here," Paul said. "When I was in New Orleans, we did stuff together. And that stuff means something. As a team, we did stuff together. So when I brought that up (to the Clippers), guys was like, 'Do we gotta go?' And I'm looking, like, 'Do you gotta go?'"

In pure basketball terms, Paul placed the Clippers fourth out of the four teams he was considering in free agency, after the Rockets, Spurs, and Celtics.

"The only thing that could keep me here," he surmised, "is life."

Paul also suggested to Jay-Z that the Clippers didn't seem particularly interested in taking down the Golden State Warriors (though he didn't specify whether he was referring to the front office or his teammates).

"If you ain't trying to contend with the Warriors then what are we doing?" he said. "The Warriors haven't lost in the playoffs. If you're not trying to contend with them then what are we doing?"

As Paul started to give stronger and stronger consideration to the Rockets, he explained why playing alongside another elite playmaker like James Harden appealed to him more than remaining the primary facilitator with the Clippers.

"I have the ball in my hands way too much," he told Jay-Z. "Like, I'm so tired of dribbling, having to do so much. I would love to be able to get on the wing and shoot the ball and stuff like that."

Ultimately, the pull of a new and improved basketball culture proved stronger than that of comfort and familiarity, and now Paul is free to play off the ball - and maybe even mount a challenge to the Warriors - in Houston.