Chris Paul, the ‘Level God’ who was a 12-time All-Star choice and two-time Olympic gold medallist, introduced his retirement on Friday within the capper of a 21-season profession that may certainly benefit induction into the Basketball Corridor of Fame.
Paul made the announcement on the primary day of the NBA’s All-Star weekend on the house of the Los Angeles Clippers in Inglewood, California. Paul spent his ultimate season—an abbreviated one—with the Clippers, who despatched him house in December and wound up buying and selling him to Toronto earlier this month.
The Raptors knew Paul would by no means play in Toronto, and that begged the query about whether or not the Wake Forest legend would attempt to end the season with one other staff in pursuit of the factor he by no means bought—an NBA title.
The reply got here on Friday. He’s executed. He mentioned final summer time that he has hated lacking occasions along with his kids over the previous few years, and now he can commit himself way more to his household and different pursuits.
“It’s time for me to indicate up for others and in different methods,” Paul wrote on a social media submit, saying the choice.
He strongly hinted earlier this season that this 12 months was going to be his final. Paul was a four-time All-NBA first staff choice, and he ranks second in NBA historical past with 12,552 assists and a pair of,728 steals. He was the primary participant to attain not less than 20,000 factors whereas recording not less than 10,000 assists; LeBron James and Russell Westbrook have each since executed that as properly.
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“It feels actually good figuring out that I performed and handled this sport with the utmost respect because the day my dad launched me to it,” Paul wrote. “It was the very first relationship I ever knew.”
Paul performed for New Orleans, Houston, Oklahoma Metropolis, Phoenix, Golden State, San Antonio, and the Clippers throughout his profession, spending the final 4 years with 4 totally different groups.
He additionally was a previous president of the Nationwide Basketball Gamers Affiliation—instrumental in getting the league via the bubble season when the pandemic struck in 2020—and championed the NBA establishing higher ties with Traditionally Black Faculties and Universities.
“From the second he entered the league, Chris distinguished himself along with his savvy playmaking abilities, elite competitiveness and intense work ethic,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver mentioned in a press release, through which he referred to as Paul “one of many biggest level guards in NBA historical past.”
Paul is fifteenth all-time in regular-season video games performed and thirty sixth in factors, was a six-time steals champion, a five-time assists champion, a nine-time All-Defensive staff decide, an 11-time All-NBA choice, and was a part of the NBA’s seventy fifth anniversary staff.
He’s one in all six gamers in NBA historical past to have reached $400 million in profession earnings.
“I’ve been taking part in basketball since I used to be 4 years outdated, and there’s nothing apart from my household that brings me extra pleasure than the laborious work and all that stuff that goes into it,” he mentioned in 2024. “Yeah, that’s why we get to play a baby’s sport and say it’s my lifestyle.”
Paul grew to become arguably probably the most completed participant in Clippers franchise historical past whereas main the staff to 6 profitable seasons from 2011 to 2017, together with the Clippers’ first two Pacific Division titles and three playoff collection victories. Paul returned to Los Angeles as a free agent final July, rejoining a franchise the place he’s cherished by followers—but it surely went dangerous shortly, and Paul’s final sport with the Clippers was on December 1.
It will definitely turned out to be his final NBA sport.
“Whereas this chapter of being an ‘NBA participant’ is completed, the sport of basketball will perpetually be engrained within the DNA of my life, spanning three a long time,” Paul wrote. “It’s loopy even saying that!! Enjoying basketball for a residing has been an unbelievable blessing that additionally got here with lots of duty. I embraced all of it.”
Paul is one in all seven gamers to have an NBA profession span not less than 21 seasons. And he’s already within the Corridor of Fame: the 2008 Olympic ‘Redeem Group’ was enshrined as a part of the 2025 class. It gained’t be lengthy earlier than he goes in on his personal as properly.
Printed on Feb 14, 2026