After three decades in the NBA, one of the greatest point guards to play the game is bidding farewell to his chosen sport. Citing unnamed sources, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports that Chris Paul’s 21st season in the league will also be his last. This will mark the end of a long career that began when Paul was drafted by New Orleans in 2005 after playing collegiate ball at Wake Forest.
On Saturday morning, Paul took to social media to seemingly acknowledge his pending retirement. “Back in NC!!! What a ride…Still so much left…GRATEFUL for this last one!!” he wrote, accompanied by a career-spanning montage of images and videos that summarized his career to date. Paul and his teammates also played well in Saturday’s game against Charlotte, which the Clippers won 131-116.
In a 2019 Bleacher Report overview of the best point guards in NBA history, Paul ranked fifth, behind only Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, Stephen Curry and Magic Johnson. “CP3 is a cerebral assassin who can pick apart whatever defense is thrown at him,” Andy Bailey wrote at the time. “But what really sets him apart is his defensive prowess.”
22 Questions: Why Can't Chris Paul Win in the Playoffs?
The Oklahoma City Thunder point guard has a long history postseason disappointmentAs of this writing, Paul has 12,532 assists and 2,727 steals. That’s enough to rank him second overall for both in NBA history, behind John Stockton in both cases. CBS Sports reporter Sam Quinn took in one curious aspect of Paul’s legacy in a post on X.
“Chris Paul is a winner who unfortunately didn’t get to win,” Quinn wrote. “Just the very definition of a clutch, winning player who missed out on several chances to win championships because of bad luck.” (He went on to expand on this argument in a column.) Regardless, Paul has had an all-time great career, and his presence in the game will be sorely missed after this season.
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