Chris Paul officially ended his 21-season career as one of the NBA’s greatest point guards, announcing his retirement on Friday on Instagram.
“This is it! After 21 years I’m stepping away from basketball,” Paul wrote in the social-media post. “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.”
The fourth overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft out of Wake Forest, Paul ranks second on the NBA’s all-time assist list — his 12,552 trail only John Stockton’s 15,806. He is also second in steals, also behind Stockton. He leaves as a 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA point guard, five-time single-season assists leader, nine-time All-Defense selection and a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.
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For his career, Paul averaged 16.8 points, 9.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds. He was also a two-time Olympic gold medalist with the U.S. men’s national team. His next stop will be the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Paul and the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James are the only players with at least 20,000 points and 10,000 assists in their careers.
“Playing basketball for a living has been an unbelievable blessing that came with lots of responsibility,” Paul also said in his Instagram post. “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!!)”
Paul was initially reported waived by the Raptors on Friday. Paul was sent to the Raptors after being traded from the Los Angeles Clippers on February 4. The Raptors did not require Chris Paul to report to the team and reportedly looked to repackage him before the trade deadline.
Paul has not played since December 1. The Clippers parted ways with him on December 3 after the team’s 5-16 start. It was reported that Paul was clashing with Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue. Despite the team parting ways with him, Paul was never released. Paul averaged a career low 2.9 points, 3.3 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 16 games in his 21st season.
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Before Paul’s short time with the Raptors and his second stint with the Clippers, he played for the San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Oklahoma City, Houston Rockets and began his career with the New Orleans Hornets.
He had served as a reserve for the first time in his career with the Warriors. The next year with the Spurs, Paul was the first player to make 82 starts this deep into a career. It was only the second time in his career that Paul played all 82 games. Paul finished his career with 1,370 regular season games and 149 career playoff games.
Despite Paul’s success and longevity, he has not won the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. In 2021, Paul and the Suns fell short to the Milwaukee Bucks in his only Finals appearance.