Chris Paul has decided to retire after a tumultuous 2025-26 season that left him a free agent and likely feeling a bit disrespected.
On Friday, the Raptors waived Paul, a week after acquiring from the Clippers in a trade at the deadline. The 40-year-old future Hall of Famer announced his retirement shortly after. For the first time in 20 years, the NBA will exist without Chris Paul in it.
The ignominious end to Paul’s career has come with a lot of scorn heaped in the Clippers’ direction. Paul signed with L.A. last summer, hoping to end his career on a high note with the franchise that helped make him a household name. Instead, his 21st NBA season became a nightmare.
In early December, after only playing in 16 games and garnering a career-low average of 14.3 minutes per game, the Clippers sent Paul home and very publicly cut ties with him. At the time, the Clippers had lost 14 of 16 and decided to move on from one of the best players in their history in an effort to right the ship. Rather than releasing Paul and letting him choose his next destination, they held him in limbo for two months before shipping him to Toronto at the deadline.
It’s puzzling why the Clippers would have brought Paul in for a farewell tour if the franchise didn’t plan to keep him around all season. It was understood that he wouldn’t be a starter and might not actually play every night, but he started all 82 games for the Spurs last season, and he was capable of offering more than L.A. was asking of him. He’s one of the greatest point guards of all-time and deserved better.
Paul’s first run with the Clippers was arguably the best period in the team’s history and helped change the perception of the franchise around the league. L.A. acquired Paul in a trade with the then-New Orleans Hornets in December of 2011. He immediately teamed with Blake Griffin to create one of the NBA’s most exciting, high-flying cores that included DeAndre Jordan and was dubbed “Lob City.” The Clippers became a perennial playoff team but never reached the conference finals.
There have been reports that Paul had a few run-ins with the Clippers’ coaching staff, but given the stories that have surfaced, they seem to have developed from the veteran being opinionated about the team. While that could be an issue, he has also had that reputation throughout his NBA career. The Clippers knew full well what they were getting into and opted out after a few months. It was horrible optics.
This is the second time the Clippers have unceremoniously dumped Paul. The first came on June 28, 2017, when they traded him to the Rockets in exchange for Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, Kyle Wiltjer, DeAndre Liggins, Darrun Hilliard, a future first-rounder, and cash. L.A. moved Paul at that time because the franchise didn’t want to give him a contract extension despite nine All-Star seasons in the previous 10.
The depressing stat line from Paul’s final season will read an average of 2.9 points, 3.3 assists, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.7 steals per game. In his storied, 1,370-game career, he averaged 16.8 points, 9.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game.
Paul will finish his career second all-time in assists (12,552), and steals (2,728), and 16th in games played (1,370). He was a 12-time All-Star, was named first-team All-NBA four times, and second-team five times, while making seven All-Defense first teams. He led the NBA in assists five times and steals six times, while also winning two Olympic gold medals.
He deserved better than to be unceremoniously released in mid-February.