The Toronto Raptors are saying goodbye to one of their players during the All-Star break, even though he has not appeared for the team.
The team announced that it has waived Chris Paul after acquiring him at the trade deadline in a three-team deal that sent Ochai Agbaji to the Brooklyn Nets.
Chris Paul Announces Retirement After Being Waived
Shortly after the announcement of Paul’s departure, he took to social media to announce his retirement after 21 seasons in the league.
“This is it! After over 21 years I’m stepping away from basketball,” Paul wrote in a statement on Instagram. “As I write this, it’s hard to really know what to feel, but for once – most people would be surprised – I don’t have the answer lol! But, mostly I’m filled with so much joy and gratitude! While this chapter of being an “NBA player” is done, the game of basketball will forever be engrained in the DNA of my life.
“I’ve been in the NBA for more than half of my life, spanning three decades. It’s crazy even saying that!! Playing basketball for a living has been an unbelievable blessing that also came with lots of responsibility. I embraced it all. The good and the bad. As a lifelong learner, leadership is hard and is not for the weak. Some will like you and many people won’t. But the goal was always the goal, and my intentions were always sincere (Damn, I love competing!!)
“It feels really good knowing that I played and treated this game with the utmost respect since the day my dad introduced it to me. It was the very first relationship I ever knew. Basketball gave me a reason to wake up at 5 am and work out before school. It gave me a reason to find a way to get to the YMCA on snow days, even when the roads were icy.
“It gave me a reason to be the little brother always trying to beat his big brother. It gave me a reason to earn good grades so I could have a chance to play in college. It gave me a reason to score 61 points in a game, even though my grandfather had just been killed. It gave me a reason to show up in rehab day after day after the meniscus tear, the Jones fracture, the separated shoulder, and the 5 hand surgeries.”
To read Paul’s full statement, click here.
The Raptors now have an open roster spot with Paul officially off the roster.
