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NBA veteran Chris Paul hints at retirement within this year. Here's more
Veteran point guard Chris Paul, after 20 years in the NBA, plans to retire soon, expressing a desire to spend more time with family.
Chris Paul, an NBA veteran with a history of holding the record for second-most assists, may soon be retiring from the league as revealed by him recently. The San Antonio Spurs point guard has previously hinted at what he would want to do once the final ball drops and has revealed his reasons for stepping off the court.
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Paul gives it ‘at the most, a year’
During an appearance at the American Black Film Festival, Paul revealed that he gives his NBA career “at the most, a year” and announced plans to retire soon after. "I just finished my 20th season, which is a blessing in itself. I've been in the NBA for more than half of my life, which is a blessing. But these years you do not get back with your kids, with your family,” he reasoned. This means that 2025 could well prove to be Paul’s last season on the court.
Although no longer in his prime, the 40-year-old player started all 82 games with the Spurs last season and put up 8.8 points, 7.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He has previously played for the New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, besides the Spurs and has made nine All-Defensive Teams and 11 All-NBA Teams. His Suns made it to the NBA Finals in 2021 but lost out to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games.
The retirement plan
It seems change is in order for the 12-time All-Star as his current free agent status reveals that he is looking to end his career in a different team. As revealed by Dallas Hoops Journal, the player has been linked to the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks, and Charlotte Hornets this offseason. NBA insider Marc Stein recently revealed that interest from the Hornets and Dallas Mavericks was turned down by the player.
Although Paul hasn’t publicly stated his expectations from a fresh team, an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show from last month gave some clarity into what’s going on his mind. “My son just turned 16,” he said.
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“My daughter is 12. The past six seasons, I've lived without them. I go to San Antonio, Phoenix, Golden State—they were in Houston with me—Oklahoma City… I've been around a few teams, but I've been away from them the last six years. It's a little different. That's the conversation.”
If this were to be the case, the Suns or the Clippers stand a better chance of closing a deal that allows Paul to stay close to his family in the process.
