Chris Paul’s announcement Friday that he is retiring from the NBA starts the clock on his eventual enshrinement into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Though Paul’s career is missing a championship, the fact that he never won the NBA Finals will have no bearing on his Hall of Fame candidacy. Over a 21-year career, Paul earned 12 All-Star selections and 11 All-NBA nods. He led the NBA in assists five times and led the league in steals in six separate seasons.
There is no doubt: Paul is getting into the Hall of Fame. But when will he receive the call to join hundreds of other legendary players and executives in Springfield, Massachusetts?
MORE: Clippers legend Chris Paul makes final announcement on retirement
When is Chris Paul eligible for the Hall of Fame?
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement process requires a player to have been retired for four seasons before they merit consideration to enter the Hall. That means a player has to have been three full seasons removed from their last NBA game, which in Paul’s case was on Dec. 1, 2025.
Paul then should be eligible for enshrinement in the class of 2029. He must sit out all of the 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29 seasons, according to the Hall’s eligibility rules — though the Hall reviews “on an individual basis” players who opt to come out of retirement.
As one of the greatest players — not just point guards — of his era, Paul is widely expected to be a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee. He is second in league history in total steals as well as total assists.
In fact, Paul already does have a place in the Hall. He was inducted as part of USA Basketball’s 2008 “Redeem Team” last year.
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