Chris Paul Caught Lying on Twitter?

There was a time, not that long ago, when Chris Paul was not into the whole Twitter thing. In fact, due to various impostor accounts that popped up, it became kind of a joke/meme to tweet -- in all caps, of course -- CHRIS PAUL IS NOT ON TWITTER!

Right about now, he probably wishes that he wasn't.

After a report appeared in Pro Basketball News on Friday that had Paul on the record acknowledging the fact that given the Hornets' financial situation, there was the possibility that he could be traded, Paul updated his Twitter page with a complete denial, which effectively accused the reporter of making the whole thing up.

The only problem? The reporter in question, Chris Tomasson, has the whole thing on tape.

The original comments made by Paul were pretty innocuous; here's how they appeared within the context of the report:

Paul was interviewed Thursday by Pro Basketball News, and asked about his team's financial situation. The Hornets are staring at being well over the luxury tax, and might have to dump some big contracts.

"In this league, anything can happen," said Paul, at the summer league to watch his Hornets. "I can be dealt."

Paul then was asked that surely he can't be serious he could be traded.

"It's possible," he said. "It's possible."

Again, harmless. But Paul must have been catching a whole lot of grief about it, so much so that he threw out the following message on his Twitter page, which included calling out Tomasson by name:



Tomasson, a highly-respected journalist who's been covering the NBA for over 20 years, obviously felt the need to defend himself -- especially after someone on the Hornets' PR staff said Paul didn't remember the conversation, and asked Tomasson if the interview was taped.

As it turns out, it was.

It's unclear why Paul would try to deny his comments so vehemently, to the point of basically calling Tomasson a liar, when the conversation happened in a public place and was clearly being recorded at the time. Is it possible that he was being a little too candid with some inside information, and the organization reprimanded him for it?

Maybe, maybe not. Either way, if you're an NBA star speaking to a reporter at an NBA event (like Summer League, for example), and the recorder is rolling and in plain sight, guess what? Your comments are on the record unless you clearly instruct the reporter otherwise.

Saying your comments were taken out of context or misinterpreted is one thing, but flat out denying that you ever said them, when they're on tape? That makes you a liar.

Calling out the reporter that printed them by name, and accusing him of making it up? That makes you a jerk, too.

If all of this went down as it appears to have gone down, one thing is clear:

Chris Paul owes Chris Tomasson an apology.