Chris Paul has announced his retirement after 21 seasons in the NBA.
Nicknamed “Point God,” Paul was a 12-time All-Star selection, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and boasted a career worthy of induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Paul made the announcement on the first day of NBA All-Star Weekend at the Los Angeles Clippers’ home stadium in Inglewood, California.
Paul spent his final (abbreviated) season with the Clippers, who sent him home in December before the Raptors waived him after trading him to Toronto earlier this month.
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Paul spent eight of his 21 NBA seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Raptors knew Paul would never play in Toronto, which raised questions about whether the Wake Forest legend would try to finish the season with another team in pursuit of what he never won: an NBA title.
The answer came on Friday. He’s done. He said last summer that he hated missing out on events with his children over the past few years and that he was now much more able to devote himself to his family and other interests.
Paul announced his decision on social media, writing, “It’s time to show up in a different way for others.”
He strongly hinted earlier this season that this would be his final season.
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Paul was a four-time All-NBA First Team selection and ranks second in NBA history with 12,552 assists and 2,728 steals. He was the first player to score at least 20,000 points while dishing at least 10,000 assists. LeBron James and Russell Westbrook have since done the same.
Paul became the most accomplished player in Clippers franchise history, leading the team to six winning seasons from 2011-17, including the Clippers’ first two Pacific Division titles and three playoff series victories. He returned to Los Angeles as a free agent last July, rejoining a fan-favorite franchise. But things quickly took a turn for the worse, and Paul’s last game with the Clippers was on December 1.
“As this chapter of becoming an ‘NBA player’ closes, the game of basketball will forever be engrained in the DNA of my life for 30 years,” Paul wrote. “It’s ridiculous to say that!! Playing basketball for a living has been a huge blessing without the loss of responsibility. I’ve embraced it all.”
Paul is one of seven players to have an NBA career spanning at least 21 seasons. And he’s already in the Hall of Fame. The 2008 Olympic ‘Relief Team’ was honored as part of the 2025 squad. He will be hoping to have earned his nomination after his illustrious career ends.
