Chris Paul is ending his Hall-of-Fame career a little sooner than expected.
The 12-time All-Star issued a statement on Instagram announcing his retirement, writing that he is “filled with so much joy and gratitude!”
Paul’s announcement came after the Toronto Raptors officially waived him just over a week after he was acquired prior to the trade deadline. It had already been known that he was going to retire at the end of the 2025-26 season.
The 40-year-old confirmed to The Athletic’s Law Murray in November that his 21st NBA season would be his last.
Paul’s final NBA game was with the Los Angeles Clippers on Dec. 1. He finished with eight points and three assists in 15 minutes off the bench in a 140-123 loss to the Miami Heat.
Despite the unceremonious end to Paul’s career, he is leaving the NBA as one of the most accomplished point guards in league history.
Paul was named to the All-Star team 12 times, All-NBA team 11 times and All-Defensive time nine times. He is one of eight players ever to have at least 20 combined All-Star and All-Defensive team selections.
The Point God ranks second all-time to John Stockton in both career assists and steals.
Another part of Paul’s legacy in the NBA is as one of the two key figures, along with then-NBA commissioner David Stern, in the December 2011 trade between the New Orleans Hornets and Los Angeles Lakers.
Even though the two teams agreed to terms that would have sent Paul to the Lakers, Stern stepped in to veto the move at a time when the league owned and operated the Hornets.
After a stellar two-year run in college at Wake Forest, Paul went No. 4 overall to the New Orleans Hornets in the 2005 NBA draft. He spent the first six years of his career with the organization.
The best season in franchise history remains the 2007-08 campaign when the then-Hornets won 56 games and took the San Antonio Spurs to seven games in the Western Conference semifinals.
Paul did end up in Hollywood prior to the start of the 2011-12 season, but it was with the Clippers. He was a key figure in the greatest run of success in their franchise history, leading them to six consecutive playoff appearances in his six seasons.
Prior to Paul’s arrival, the Clippers made a total of seven postseason appearances in their first 41 years of existence dating back to when they were the Buffalo Braves.
Paul would continue to move around the league, having stints with the Houston Rockets, Phoenix Suns, Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs before ending up back with the Clippers.
The 2020-21 season with the Suns marked Paul’s only appearance in the NBA Finals. He averaged 19.2 points and 8.6 assists per game in 20 starts during that postseason, though the Suns lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games.
Paul’s career comes to an end as the NBA is preparing to host All-Star weekend in Los Angeles at the Intuit Dome. He will be eligible for the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2029.