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Chris Paul, the \u201cPoint God\u201d who was a 12-time All-Star selection and two-time Olympic gold medalist, announced his retirement on Friday in the capper of a 21-season career that will surely merit induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n
Paul made the announcement on the first day of the NBA’s All-Star weekend at the home of the Los Angeles Clippers in Inglewood, California. Paul spent his final season \u2014 an abbreviated one<\/a> \u2014 with the Clippers, who sent him home in December and wound up trading him to Toronto earlier this month.<\/p>\n The Raptors knew Paul would never play in Toronto, and that begged the question about whether the Wake Forest legend would try to finish the season with another team in pursuit of the thing he never got \u2014 an NBA title.<\/p>\n The answer came Friday. He’s done. He said last summer that he has hated missing events with his children over the last few years, and now he can devote himself much more to his family and other interests.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s time for me to show up for others and in other ways,\u201d Paul wrote on a social media post, announcing the decision.<\/p>\n He strongly hinted earlier this season<\/a> that this year was going to be his last. Paul was a four-time All-NBA first team selection, and he ranks second in NBA history with 12,552 assists and 2,728 steals. He was the first player to score at least 20,000 points while recording at least 10,000 assists; LeBron James and Russell Westbrook have both since done that as well.<\/p>\n Paul became arguably the most accomplished player in Clippers franchise history while leading the team to six winning seasons from 2011-17, including the Clippers\u2019 first two Pacific Division titles and three playoff series victories. Paul returned to Los Angeles as a free agent last July, rejoining a franchise where he is loved by fans \u2014 but it went bad quickly, and Paul’s last game with the Clippers was Dec. 1.<\/p>\n It turned out to be his last NBA game, period.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile this chapter of being an \u2018NBA player\u2019 is done, the game of basketball will forever be engrained in the DNA of my life, spanning three decades,\u201d Paul wrote. \u201cIt\u2019s crazy even saying that!! Playing basketball for a living has been an unbelievable blessing that also came with lost of responsibility. I embraced it all.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul is one of seven players to have an NBA career span at least 21 seasons. And he’s already in the Hall of Fame: the 2008 Olympic \u2018Redeem Team\u2019 was enshrined as part of the 2025 class. It won’t be long before he goes in on his own as well.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n