Chris Paul is hanging up his jersey.
Now it’s time for the New Orleans Pelicans to hang it up as well, high in the rafters of the Smoothie King Center.
The greatest player to ever put on a New Orleans Hornets or Pelicans jersey called it quits last week.
Paul’s NBA journey started in New Orleans and ended in Canada on Friday just a few hours after the Toronto Raptors waived him, bringing to a close a 21-year career of one of the greatest point guards to ever play.
That “Point God” nickname was so fitting for a guy who made at least one of the All-NBA teams 11 times and an All-Defensive team nine times.
Paul, who turns 41 in May, decided to retire midseason because he just knew it was time to spend more time with his family. The Raptors, who he never suited up for after being acquired in a trade, would’ve been his eighth NBA team. Toronto is a 5½-hour flight from his home in L.A., which was a place he wanted to stay close to this season. It's the main reason he signed with the Clippers before the season began.
It’s unfortunate Paul didn’t get the farewell tour that he deserved for such a stellar career.
But it’s not too late to still give him his due. In fact, now is the perfect time to do so, especially for the team that drafted him fourth overall in the 2005 draft.
There are no jerseys or championship banners hanging in the building that was called New Orleans Arena during Paul's days. Now is the time to put Paul’s No. 3 jersey up there. There's not a whole lot else to get excited about the remainder of the season for a team that is 15-41 at the All-Star break.
You can still find fans walking around New Orleans wearing Paul’s jersey. Even veteran Saints defensive end Cam Jordan wore one last week as he was riding in a Mardi Gras parade. That’s the type of lasting effect Paul still has here, despite being gone for 15 years.
You won’t find many fans who disagree that Paul deserves to have his jersey retired, but there are some. In an unscientific poll conducted on X last week, I posed the question. The results showed that 81.5% thinks it should be retired, while 18.5% said no. That 18.5% is likely comprised of fans still bitter about Paul’s departure when he was traded to the Clippers.
It’s time to get over that.
Yes, it’s hard to get over an ex when you feel like that person doesn't want you, but Paul has stated he never really wanted to leave New Orleans.
Paul said a few years back that he was hearing from the front office that the franchise could be relocating. So who can really fault the then-26-year-old for being a little hesitant about staying with a franchise that seemed unstable.
So instead of focusing on how he left, the focus should be on what he did while he was here. That includes having the Hornets one game away from reaching the Western Conference finals, the closest the franchise ever has been to getting that far. He also finished second to Kobe Bryant for league MVP that same season. Nobody else in franchise history has come close to that.
If Paul had finished out this season, his return to New Orleans would have been March 11 when the Raptors came to town. Instead, his final game in the Smoothie King Center was last February when he was with the Spurs. Paul recorded 12 points and 10 assists that night for the final double-double of his career.
Fittingly, it occurred in New Orleans. And just as fitting, Paul had this to say during that trip to the city where his career began.
“After 20 years, the love for this city has never changed!" Paul wrote in an Instagram post. "The journey started here, and I'll always have gratitude for the city of New Orleans.”
Now that Paul has retired, it’s time for New Orleans to return the gratitude and put No. 3 in the rafters.