Chris Paul’s time in the NBA is over.
The 12-time All-Star point guard announced his retirement on Friday after 21 seasons.
Paul, 40, had returned to the Los Angeles Clippers this season, but was sent home from the team in December after 16 games played. He was traded to the Toronto Raptors at the trade deadline earlier this month. But it was a paper transaction with Paul never expected to report. The team waived him earlier on Friday.
“This is it! After over 21 years I’m stepping away from basketball,” Paul wrote 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!!)”
A native of Winston-Salem, NC, Paul was the fourth overall pick of the 2005 NBA Draft out of Wake Forest by the New Orleans Hornets. In 2011, Paul was traded to the Clippers where he would emerge as one of the game’s finest guards as part of “Lob City” alongside Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. But playoff success proved to be elusive with the team never reaching beyond a Western Conference semi-final.
Paul would be dealt to the Houston Rockets in 2018, beginning a series of short stints for the rest of his career that also saw stops with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. Paul would finally play in an NBA Finals in 2021 as a member of the Suns, ultimately falling to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games. Paul played well in that series, averaging 21.8 points and a series-high 8.2 assists per game.
Paul finishes his career averaging 16.8 points on .469 shooting, including .370 from three, 9.2 assists and 4.4 boards over 33.5 minutes a night.
Internationally, Paul represented the United States on a number of occasions, winning gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.
