Chris Paul retires after legendary 21-year NBA career

Chris Paul moved up his retirement plans.

The 40-year-old point guard announced Friday he is retiring during his 21st season, with the Raptors reportedly waiving him earlier in the day, per ESPN.

Paul said before the season this would be his last in the NBA.

“This is it! After 21 years I’m stepping away from basketball. As I write this, it’s hard to really know what to feel, but for once — most people would be surprised — I don’t have the answer lo!” Paul posted to Instagram on Friday afternoon. “But, mostly I’m filled with so much joy and gratitude!

“While this chapter of being an ‘NBA player’ is done, the game of basketball will forever be engrained in the DNA of my life.”

While Paul is a lock for the Hall of Fame after his outstanding career, this final season likely did not go the way he would have hoped.

He returned to play for the Clippers after starring for them from 2011-17, but he appeared in only 16 games and controversy engulfed his time with the franchise.

The Clippers sent him home during a road trip in December, and details emerged that his relationship with coach Tyronn Lue deteriorated to the point that Lue would not meet with him before the split.

Paul reportedly had been holding players and management accountable at a level which the franchise did not appreciate, ESPN reported at the time.

He remained on the roster despite having last played Dec. 1, and the Clippers included him in a three-team trade with the Nets and Raptors that saw Paul land in Toronto.

He did not play with the Raptors before they reportedly waived him Friday, with the news of his release coming shortly before he announced his retirement.

“I’ve been in the NBA for more than half of my life, spanning three decades,” Paul continued in his message. “It’s crazy even saying that!! Playing basketball for a living has been an unbelievable blessing that also came with lots of responsibility. I embraced it all. The good and the bad.”

Paul retires as one of the greatest point guards in league history, making 12 All-Star teams and 11 All-NBA squads, plus earning a spot on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.

He averaged 16.8 points and 9.2 assists per game while also playing for New Orleans, Phoenix, Houston, San Antonio, Oklahoma City and Golden State.

The one cruel twist to his career is he will be remembered as one of the greatest players to not win a championship, appearing in the Finals just once and losing to the Bucks with the Suns in 2021.

Paul’s goodbye message took a trip down memory lane, with the point guard reminiscing on trips to the YMCA in the snow while remembering the injuries he faced over the years.

He also thanked the teammates, coaches and executives he worked with over the years.

“It feels really good knowing that I played and treated this game with the utmost respect since the day my dad introduced to me to me it,” he wrote.

He’s looking forward to now focusing on his family: wife Jada, son Chris Jr. and daughter Camryn.

“So now with all the gratitude that I could possibly have… it’s time for me to show up for others and in other ways,” he wrote. “This last season I knew I couldn’t do it unless I was at home with my family. Those six years were a lot of sacrifice for all of us and I know that had to come to an end. And I now know wholeheartedly the best teammate I can be is to Jada, Chris II and Cam!!”