Chris Paul Retires After 21 NBA Seasons, Hours After Raptors Waive Him

Chris Paul’s 21-year NBA journey is officially over. The future Hall of Fame point guard announced his retirement Friday via a lengthy Instagram post, hours after the Toronto Raptors waived him without ever putting him on the floor. “This is it! After over 21 years I’m stepping away from basketball,” Paul wrote, closing the book on one of the most decorated careers in league history.

Paul, universally known as “the Point God” and “CP3,” entered the NBA in 2005 as the No. 4 overall pick out of Wake Forest and immediately won Rookie of the Year with the New Orleans Hornets. Over the next two decades he built a resume that places him among the greatest floor generals to ever play the game: a 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA selection, and nine-time All-Defensive team member who led the NBA in assists five times and steals a record six times. He finishes his career second all-time in both assists (12,552) and steals (2,728), trailing only John Stockton in each category, with 23,058 total points scored.

A Career That Spanned Seven Franchises

Paul’s basketball odyssey took him through seven different organizations. After six seasons running the show in New Orleans, he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2011 and became the engine of the “Lob City” era alongside Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. From there, his path wound through Houston (2017-19), Oklahoma City (2019-20), Phoenix (2020-23), Golden State (2023-24) and San Antonio (2024-25) before he returned to the Clippers this past summer on a one-year, $3.6 million deal for what became his 21st and final season. He wore No. 3 for every stop along the way, right down to Bradley Beal handing over the number so Paul could have it back in Los Angeles.

That final Clippers stint didn’t go the way anyone hoped. Paul appeared in just 16 games this season before he was abruptly dismissed by the organization in early December. He was then included in a three-team deal that sent him to Toronto on Feb. 4, but the Raptors never intended to have him suit up — they were reportedly looking to move him again before the trade deadline and, when that didn’t materialize, waived him outright. He hadn’t played in an NBA game since Dec. 1. Anyone tracking the NBA Champion futures market this season barely noticed his name on a roster at all.

The One Thing Missing From an Otherwise Complete Resume

For all the individual accolades, a championship ring eluded Paul throughout his entire career — the lone conspicuous gap on an otherwise Hall of Fame-caliber résumé. His closest brush with a title came in 2021, when he led the Phoenix Suns past his old Clippers team in the Western Conference finals before falling to the Milwaukee Bucks in six games in the NBA Finals, the only Finals appearance of his career. He also reached Game 7 of the conference finals with James Harden and the Houston Rockets in 2018 before Golden State ended that run. Bettors who follow the NBA betting guide on futures markets know how often star-studded rosters still fall short, and Paul’s career is a reminder that even a top-five point guard of his generation isn’t guaranteed a ring.

Paul’s Instagram statement made clear the decision was about more than basketball. “It’s time for me to show up for others and in other ways,” he wrote, reflecting on a career that spanned more than half his life. He had signaled last summer, while still with the Clippers, that the 2025-26 season would be his last, and Friday’s announcement — timed to the start of NBA All-Star weekend in Los Angeles — made it official. NBA commissioner Adam Silver issued a statement calling Paul “one of the greatest point guards in NBA history and a true steward of our sport.”

What Comes Next

Paul’s fingerprints are all over the modern point guard position, from his pick-and-roll mastery to his reputation as one of the league’s most demanding leaders and vocal union advocates during his tenure as president of the National Basketball Players Association. With his playing days now finished, speculation will inevitably turn to a Basketball Hall of Fame induction, front-office or coaching opportunities, and a broadcasting future given his outspoken, analytical approach to the game. For now, the NBA is left digesting the departure of a player who redefined what it meant to control a basketball game without ever needing to be the most explosive athlete on the floor — a 21-year run that ends not with a championship parade, but with a heartfelt goodbye typed out for millions of fans to read.