After his 20th NBA season, Chris Paul is naturally speculating about what will come next. His most recent stint, spent with the San Antonio Spurs, saw him play all 82 games at as high a level as could be expected.
However, he is slowing down, and he wants to focus on things bigger than basketball.
His family, since he stopped playing for the Houston Rockets, has settled in Los Angeles, so he has been away from them for parts of six years, and he wants to finally focus on his family.
"My son just turned 16, my daughter's 12," explained Paul on the Pat McAfee Show. "The past six seasons, I've lived without them, right? So I go to San Antonio, Phoenix, Golden State...I've been away from them for the last six years. So it's a little different. That's the conversation."
In addition to being an NBA star, Paul is an AAU coach, a businessman, and might aspire to take over as a head coach down the road, although for now, he's focusing on his family.
"I want to be dad, you know what I mean? I still love to play," he continued. "My daughter actually hoops now. So before I flew out here, I was in the gym with her for 20 minutes. Like with kids, sometimes you just got to do short sessions. So I was in 20 minutes, 20 minutes doing ball handling with her. And it was priceless. You don't get that time back."
However, Paul has made it clear that he will play for as long as he is physically able, although he doesn't want to be away from his family.
"But I want to hoop cause I love to hoop," he finished. "But at the same time, I do want to be dad."
While that talk sounds like Paul might be ready to hang up his sneakers for the last time, it seems more likely that he plans on signing with an LA-based team this offseason. He could come off the bench for James Harden on the Clippers, or play alongside or behind Luka Doncic on the Lakers, depending on how the team deals with Austin Reaves this offseason.
While Paul was a solid veteran for the Spurs, his family, of course, will come first, and he is not expected to return to San Antonio.
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