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DeAndre Jordan Says Free-Agent Decision Was Intense Pressure

Star center explains ditching verbal agreement with Mavs to remain Clipper.

We've heard what Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and his players had to say about it and even some members of the Los Angeles Clippers.

But now, we're finally hearing from DeAndre Jordan himself.

The star center took to the Players' Tribune on Monday to explain his controversial decision to forfeit his verbal agreement on a four-year, $80 million max deal with the Mavs to re-sign with the Clippers for four years and $88 million six days later.

"I feel like we've all made decisions in our lives where we've had second thoughts about things and have gone back and had to revisit a situation," Jordan said on the website Monday. "I definitely feel like this is one of those times for me.

"As everyone knows, I struggled with it. It was nine or 10 days of intense pressure," he added. "Every night I would have a different scenario in my head, of the city and team where I thought I would fit best. I had several meetings with teams and even more conversations with my family and friends. I kept thinking about what it really meant to be 'home' and I would go back and forth."

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He also used the open forum to firmly state that he doesn't have any rift with Clippers All-Star point guard Chris Paul, as rumored.

"I love Chris, man. Chris is a big brother to me," Jordan said. "When you play sports, you’re competitive — especially when you play them at as high a level as we have these last few years. And of course, yeah, we all bump heads during the course of the game. But we know that whatever criticisms or arguments we have on the floor, they’re about one thing—winning."

The Clippers enjoyed a 56-win season in 2014-15, but blew a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals and were eliminated by the Houston Rockets.

BET Sports News — Get the latest news and information about African-Americans in sports, including weekly recaps, celebrity news and photos of your favorite Black athletes.

 

(Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)

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