After 21 years in the NBA, Chris Paul announced his retirement in a social media post on Friday. CP3 had initially planned to retire at the end of the 2025/26 season but opted to stand down after being waived by the Toronto Raptors.

Now 40 years old, Paul is a 12-time All-Star and an 11-time member of the All-NBA teams. He has two Olympic gold medals and was named in the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.

“While this chapter of being an ‘NBA player’ is done, the game of basketball will forever be engrained in the DNA of my life, spanning three decades,” Paul wrote in his retirement message. “It’s crazy even saying that!! Playing basketball for a living has been an unbelievable blessing that also came with lost of responsibility. I embraced it all.”

He is best-known for his time with the Los Angeles Clippers, playing in the team’s ‘Lob City’ era from 2011-2017. He was named MVP of the NBA All-Star Game in 2013 and has been cited as one of the greatest point guards of all time.

Who is the best player to never win a championship?

Despite his long, successful career in the league Chris Paul never won an NBA championship. He reached the NBA Finals in 2021 with the Phoenix Suns but was denied a first ring by Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Paul ends his career at No. 2 in the all-time NBA list for both assists and steals, but he’s not the only great to miss out on a ring.

In both of those categories, Paul is behind the legendary John Stockton who spent his entire career with the Utah Jazz. During his 19-year spell in the league, the Jazz had the best winning percentage of any team but never managed to win a championship. Utah twice lost to the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Finals.

A similar fate befell Karl Malone and Charles Barkley, who both had the misfortune of playing in the NBA during the Bulls’ run of six championships in the 1990s. The likes of Patrik Ewing, Allen Iverson and Reggie Miller also failed to get the silverware that their incredible careers should have brought. CP3 may finish his career without a championship but he is far from the only great to miss out.

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