Chris Paul announced Friday that he is retiring from the NBA after a 21-season career that included two stints with the Clippers, making the announcement in a social media post.

“This is it! After 21 years I’m stepping away from basketball,” Paul wrote on Instagram. “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 an answer lol!”

Paul had two stints with the Clippers, first from 2011 to 2017 during the team’s “Lob City” era and again during the 2025-26 season

Paul signed a one-year, $3.6 million contract with the Clippers this past offseason, returning to Los Angeles to be closer to his family after six seasons elsewhere.

“It’s time for me to show up for others and in other ways,” Paul said in his post. “This last season, I knew I couldn’t do it unless I was at home with my family.”

The 40-year-old point guard averaged a career-low 2.9 points and 3.3 assists in 14 minutes per game with the Clippers this season.

The Clippers indicated it planned to move on from Paul, with reports citing internal tensions surrounding his leadership style. He was traded by the Clippers to the Toronto Raptors Feb. 4 as part of a multi-team deal ahead of the NBA trade deadline.

He was waived Friday by the Raptors.

Paul, a 12-time All-Star and one of the most accomplished point guards of his generation, was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 2006 and earned 11 All-NBA selections and nine All-Defensive team honors during his career. He was also named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.

He reached the NBA Finals once, leading the Phoenix Suns to the championship series in 2021, where they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks.

“Playing basketball for a living has been an unbelievable blessing that also came with lots of responsibility,” Paul wrote in the 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!!).”