‘Point God’ Chris Paul Retires: NBA Legend Walks Away After 21 Seasons, One Ring Short of Perfection
Chris Paul, the 12-time All-Star and one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, announced his retirement Friday just hours after being waived by the Toronto Raptors. He was 40.
The timing was abrupt but not surprising. Paul had hoped to finish his career with the Los Angeles Clippers, the team where he formed the iconic “Lob City” trio with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
“While this chapter of being an ‘NBA player’ is done, the game of basketball will forever be engrained in the DNA of my life,” he wrote. “I’ve been in the NBA for more than half of my life, spanning three decades. It’s crazy even saying that!!”
The Numbers: A Case for the Pantheon
Paul retires second on the NBA’s all-time assists list (behind only John Stockton) and second on the all-time steals list (also behind Stockton). He is the only player in league history to accumulate 20,000 points and 10,000 assists.
His résumé is staggering:
- 12× All-Star
- 4× All-NBA First Team
- 7× All-Defensive First Team (including six straight)
- Rookie of the Year (2006)
- NBA 75th Anniversary Team
- 5× assists leader
The One That Got Away
For all his individual brilliance, Paul leaves the game without an NBA championship—the defining blemish on an otherwise flawless career.
His lone Finals appearance came in 2021 with the Phoenix Suns. After beating the Clippers in the Western Conference Finals, Paul’s Suns lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games. It was as close as he ever got.
The “What If” That Haunts NBA History
On December 8, 2011, the New Orleans Hornets agreed to send Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers in a three-team blockbuster. Then-commissioner David Stern whose league owned the Hornets at the time vetoed the deal, citing “basketball reasons.”
Six days later, Paul was traded to the other Los Angeles team: the Clippers.
Had Stern not intervened, Paul would have joined Kobe Bryant in a Lakers uniform. The basketball world still wonders what might have been.
The Farewell
Paul concluded his announcement with gratitude for his family, acknowledging the sacrifices made during “those six years away” from home late in his career.
He leaves the game as its ultimate “what if” a genius floor general who changed every franchise he touched but never touched the trophy he chased.
The “Point God” is retired. The debate over his place in history begins now.