Chris Paul retired from the NBA back in February this year after an illustrious 21-season stay in the league. The Point God played his last-ever game for the Los Angeles Clippers and hung up his boots after a commendable career that saw him play alongside and against some of the most gifted players in the history of the league.
That has evidently proven enough for him to put himself in any ‘all-time starting five,’ per a post on X by Pat McAfee. And while Paul’s achievements undoubtedly warrant such a stance, he believes that may be true for any player out there.
"If you ask any hooper if they're gonna take a player over them they're gonna say no..
If you tell me to name my all-time to starting 5 I'm damn sure gonna be on that team" 😂😂 ~ @CP3 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/UYnjsKf9XR
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 10, 2026
“If you ask any hooper if they're gonna take a player over them they're gonna say no. If you tell me to name my all-time to starting 5 I'm damn sure gonna be on that team,” he said, with McAfee erupting in laughter.
Paul’s passing, IQ, and mid-range scoring undoubtedly puts him among the very top tier of players the league has seen. However, the question actually came up in response to LeBron James making a similar claim about himself recently.
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James had said that he is not “taking anybody” over himself, and went on to explain that players such as Michael Jordan, the late Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Shaquille O’Neal, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will all have the same opinion. And while each of those players, just like CP3 and LeBron, have the plaudits to back that claim, Paul believes it is something every hooper will say.
LeBron obviously claimed that even if the other stars he mentioned were in his draft class, not taking him as the No. 1 pick would be difficult for any General Manager out there. Of course, all of those other stars also won the championship multiple times, something CP3 could not do during his more than two decades in the league.
But while that will undoubtedly be a sore point for Paul, there is little doubt that Paul goes down as one of the most prominent legends of the modern game, and will eventually make his way to the Naismith Hall of Fame as well.
Chris Paul retired from the NBA back in February this year after an illustrious 21-season stay in the league. The Point God played his last-ever game for the Los Angeles Clippers and hung up his boots after a commendable career that saw him play alongside and against some of the most gifted players in the history of the league.