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Former Los Angeles Clippers star Chris Paul is officially hanging up his sneakers.<\/p>\n
On Friday morning, CP3 announced he\u2019s retiring from basketball in a lengthy statement on social media. <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThis is it! After over 21 years, I\u2019m stepping away from basketball. As I write this, it\u2019s hard to really know what to feel, but for once \u2013 most people would be surprised \u2013 I don\u2019t have the answer lol!\u201d he wrote on Instagram. \u201cBut, mostly I\u2019m filled with so much joy and gratitude! While this chapter of being an \u2018NBA player\u2019 is done, the game of basketball will forever be ingrained in the DNA of my life. I\u2019ve been in the NBA for more than half of my life, spanning three decades. It\u2019s crazy even saying that!! Playing basketball for a living has been an unbelievable blessing that also came with lots of responsibility. 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\u2019t. But the goal was always the goal, and my intentions were always sincere (Damn, I love competing!!)\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n AI video of Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise goes viral <\/a><\/p>\n He continued saying that it \u201cfeels really good knowing that I played and treated this game with the utmost respect since the day my dad introduced me to it. It was the very first relationship I ever knew.\u201d<\/p>\n The Point God said that the sport gave him a reason to \u201cwake up at 5 a.m. and work out before school.\u201d It gave him a reason to \u201cfind a way to get to the YMCA on snow days even when the roads were icy.\u201d<\/p>\n Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul warms up before of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets in Charlotte, N.C., Nov. 22, 2025. (AP Photo\/Nell Redmond)<\/p>\n \u201cIt gave me a reason to be the little brother always trying to beat his big brother. It gave me a reason to earn good grades so I could have a chance to play in college. It gave me a reason to score 61 points in a game even though my grandfather had just been killed. It gave me a reason to show up and rehab day after day after the meniscus tear, the Jones fracture, the separated shoulder and the 5 hand surgeries\u2026\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The 12-time All-Star credited the game for giving him a reason to just \u201cshow up,\u201d as \u201cshowing up\u201d is half the battle most of the time.<\/p>\n Now, the 40-year-old realizes it\u2019s time to show up \u201cfor others and in other ways,\u201d which is for his wife Jada and their two children, son Chris II, 16, and daughter Camryn, 12.<\/p>\n \u201cI am so excited to take with me to the next chapter all the incredible things basketball has taught me. And more importantly, that the people I have been blessed to meet through basketball have taught me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Selena, Tupac, Janet Jackson recordings inducted into Grammy Hall of Fame <\/a><\/p>\n He then thanked all his teammates, coaches, staff, executives and family.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t begin to thank you enough\u2026but the good news is I\u2019ll now have much more time to start! In 2005, Paul was selected fourth overall pick in the NBA draft by the New Orleans Hornets and went on to play for eight teams during his hall-of-fame caliber run. His longest tenure came with the Clippers from 2011 to 2017, helping usher in the team\u2019s Lob City era. After stints with the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs he returned to the Clippers in 2025 only to be released earlier this year.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors. He was waived by the team on Feb. 13, the day he announced his retirement.<\/p>\n Paul led the NBA in assists five times and topped the league in steals six times. In 2021, he was named to the NBA\u2019s 75th Anniversary Team.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. <\/a><\/p>\n![\"Los](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/76396a4a4d1dd178c12d5d3c6eb96dd2.jpeg\"\/)
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And the biggest thanks of all goes to the man upstairs\u2026if you know this and are reading, feel free to finish\u2026\u2019 God is Good, All the Time and All the Time.’\u201d<\/p>\n