Chris Paul’s farewell tour ends early, after he announced his retirement on his Instagram on Friday.
“This is it! After 21 years I’m stepping away from basketball. 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 the answer lo!” Paul posted to Instagram on Friday afternoon. “But, mostly I’m filled with so much joy and gratitude!
“While this chapter of being an ‘NBA player’ is done, the game of basketball will forever be engrained in the DNA of my life.”
Paul was initially reported waived by the Raptors on Friday. Paul was sent to the Raptors after being traded from the Los Angeles Clippers on February 4. The Raptors did not require Chris Paul to report to the team and reportedly looked to repackage him before the trade deadline.
Paul has not played since December 1. The Clippers parted ways with him on December 3 after the team’s 5-16 start. It was reported that Paul was clashing with Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue. Despite the team parting ways with him, Paul was never released. Paul averaged a career low 2.9 points, 3.3 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 16 games in his 21st season.
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Paul was a 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA point guard, five-time assists leader, made nine All-NBA defensive teams and a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team since being selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft.
He was also a two-time Olympic gold medalist with the United States men’s basketball team. He has averaged 16.8 points, 9.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds in his career.
Paul and Lakers’ Lebron James are the only players with 20,000 career points and 10,000 career assists milestones. Only Utah Jazz Hall of Famer John Stockton has more career assists. Paul was the 11th player in NBA history to make it to 20 seasons in the league.
Before Paul’s short time with the Raptors and his second stint with the Clippers, he played for the San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Oklahoma City, Houston Rockets and began his career with the New Orleans Hornets.
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He had served as a reserve for the first time in his career with the Warriors. The next year with the Spurs, Paul was the first player to make 82 starts this deep into a career. It was only the second time in his career that Paul played all 82 games.
Despite Paul’s success and longevity, he has not won the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. In 2021, Paul and the Suns fell short to the Milwaukee Bucks in his only Finals appearance.
This story will continue to be updated.
