Chris Paul is retiring as an NBA player.
Paul announced on Friday, Feb. 13, ‘he’s stepping away from basketball,’ in the wake of reports that the Toronto Raptors had waived him. The 40-year-old point guard was traded by the Los Angeles Clippers to the Raptors as part of a multi-team deal ahead of the 2026 NBA trade deadline earlier this month.
‘It’s time for me to show up for others and in other ways,’ the State Farm pitchman wrote in an Instagram post announcing his retirement decision. ‘This last season, I knew I couldn’t do it unless I was at home with my family.’
If Paul does not play in the league again, his last NBA game will have been on Dec. 1, 2025. But this was not his original plan for the season and the way it played out will go down as an unceremonious ending for a future Hall of Famer with his credentials.
But the Clippers then shocked the NBA in December when they sent Paul home in the wee hours of the night in the middle of a road trip as the team struggled early on this season. General Manager Lawrence Frank and coach Tyronn Lue made clear the organization intended to part ways with one of the greatest players in franchise history as reports emerged about friction involving Paul’s leadership style inside the team’s locker room.
Paul averaged a career-low 2.9 points and 3.3 assists in 14 minutes per game with the Clippers this season.
Paul is a 12-time NBA All-Star and an 11-time all-NBA selection who ranks second all-time in assists in NBA history over his 21 seasons in the league. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft twice finished among the top three in NBA MVP voting and played for seven different teams. He made the NBA Finals once with the Phoenix Suns when they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.
‘Playing basketball for a living has been an unbelievable blessing that also came with lots of responsibility,’ Paul wrote on Instagram. ‘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!!).’
“After 21 remarkable seasons, Chris Paul retires as one of the greatest point guards in NBA history and a true steward of our sport,’ NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement released on Friday.
‘From the moment he entered the league, Chris distinguished himself with his savvy playmaking skills, elite competitiveness and intense work ethic,’ Silver continued. ‘He also poured enormous time and energy into his role as President of the Players Association – offering thoughtful and principled perspectives to strengthen our game and our business. His leadership on behalf of the players was essential in negotiating collective bargaining agreements, helping guide the league through a pandemic, addressing important societal issues and so much more.
“On behalf of the NBA, I congratulate Chris on an extraordinary career and thank him for his friendship, partnership and lasting contributions to our game.”