After being waived by the Raptors on Friday, Chris Paul has officially announced his retirement from the NBA, confirming his decision in an Instagram post.
“This is it!” he wrote as part of a longer statement. “After over 21 years I’m stepping away from basketball.
“… While this chapter of being an ‘NBA player’ is done, the game of basketball will forever be ingrained in the DNA of my life. I’ve been in the NBA for more than half of my life, spanning three decades. It’s crazy even saying that! Playing basketball for a living has been an unbelievable blessing that also came with lots of responsibility. I embraced it all. The good and the bad.”
Paul’s decisions brings an end to the career of one of the NBA’s all-time great point guards. The former Wake Forest star, who was drafted fourth overall in 2005, spent 21 seasons in the NBA, appearing in 1,370 total regular season games and another 149 playoff contests for seven franchises.
Paul earned 12 All-Star berths and 11 All-NBA nods, won the 2006 Rookie of the Year award, was the MVP of the 2013 All-Star game, and led the league in assists five times and steals six times. He also made nine All-Defensive teams (including seven first teams) and was part of the NBA’s 75th anniversary squad.
More to come…