ESPN's Shams Charania just reported that Chris Paul, currently playing for the LA Clippers, will be hanging it up after this season. The 21-year veteran has earned a proper send-off, and with this announcement coming so early in the year, he'll get that.
Back in NC!!! What a ride…Still so much left…GRATEFUL for this last one!! 🤞🏾 pic.twitter.com/1ZaJSqsWRD
— Chris Paul (@CP3) November 22, 2025
CP3 spent one season with the San Antonio Spurs, and it was enough to make an impact. He may not get his jersey retired here, but he'll always be remembered for his contributions. Unfortunately, he'll also be forever recognized for being the proverbial thorn in the Big 3's side for over a decade, from his time as a New Orleans Hornet to his time as an LA Clipper (the first time).
After 21 years, Paul is going to go down as the greatest point guard in NBA history never to win a championship, and that goes to show you how much players need the right circumstances to win even one Larry O'Brien Trophy. He never got to hoist the trophy, but you'll be hard-pressed to find a basketball fan who doesn't believe that Chris has the heart of a champion.
You can't tell the story of the NBA without Chris Paul
Paul is a 12x All-Star, 11x All-NBA, and 9x All-Defensive player who won Rookie of the Year and led the league in assists five times and steals six times. He made every single team he played for better than they were before. If they were struggling to make the playoffs, that changed. If they had a young star who needed to grow, that happened. He was the perfect mercenary to immediately raise a team's floor.
It was a pleasure going head-to-head with him, and I'll never forgive him for making the shot to end San Antonio's chance at going back-to-back in 2015, after smoking the Miami Heat in the 2014 NBA Finals. But he has my ultimate respect for joining the Spurs last season and helping Victor Wembanyama and the other young guys learn the game.
He didn't commit to retiring before the year started because he wanted to see how this season would play out. If CP could still perform at a reasonable level and he was helping the team win, he may not have gone this route, but Father Time remains undefeated, and the playmaking mastermind can't contribute like he once did. Not to mention, the Clippers are awful, and that will weigh on anyone.
Paul is currently averaging 2.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game in LA—all career lows, including his efficiency. He's only played 10 out of a possible 15 games this season and has been a healthy scratch in the outings he's missed. It's time for the Point God to enjoy the next chapter in his life.
Let the retirement tour begin. He's earned it.