Chris Paul Abruptly Retires After 21 Seasons, Ends Hall of Fame Career

Well, despite many NBA fans (myself included) hoping that Chris Paul would get the farewell treatment fitting his illustrious 21-year career, it looks like this is the end of the road for one of the best point guards to ever play the game. He posted a lengthy message on Instagram that he’s “stepping away from basketball.” 

This breaking news, of course, comes on the heels of the active NBA trading that occurred earlier this month, which saw Anthony Davis go to the Washington Wizards, James Harden go to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Paul himself go to the Toronto Raptors. After the relationship between him and the Clippers soured, and he wound up being traded to Toronto, some NBA watchers held out hope that Paul would once again step on a court before the end of the current NBA season, which he previously announced would be his last. However, that just wasn’t in the cards. So how exactly did he share his retirement news? Take a look. 

Chris Paul Announces His Retirement on Instagram

Paul decided not to hold a press conference or call into one of the sports talk shows to announce his departure from the game he loves. But instead, he wrote a heartfelt message on Instagram touching on what motivated him to play basketball all of these years, and his renewed commitment to be the “best teammate” to his family. 

Chris Paul Shown Love and Adoration After Retirement News

Immediately after posting his announcement, Paul received tons of well-wishes and love from fans, current NBA players, and NBA legends. For example, his close friend and Hall of Famer, Dwyane Wade, commented on the post, “An honor to compete against you my brother. A Legendary Career.”

Former players-turned-analysts Richard Jefferson stated, “Point God????????The best is yet to come,” and Quentin Richardson remarked, “1 of the all time greats!!” It’s also worth pointing out that longtime business partner State Farm commented: 

“From assists on the court to assists in life - you’ve always been a good neighbor. Respect the legacy, CP3 ????”

You can check out all the comments left underneath Paul’s post by clicking on the Instagram post above. Again, it will be sad to see him no longer as an active player in the sport. Also, it will be interesting to hear all that’s said about him this weekend as the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend kicks off today, February 13.