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NBA: Chris Paul announces retirement from NBA after 21 seasons after legendary point guard waived by Raptors

12-time All-Star Chris Paul has announced his retirement from the NBA after 21 seasons; The NBA All-Star game is available for free via Chewkz's All-Star watchalong on the Sky Sports YouTube channel from 10pm, Sunday

Friday 13 February 2026 20:09, UK

Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul is a two-time Olympic gold medalist
Image: Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul is a two-time Olympic gold medalist

Chris Paul has announced his retirement after 21 seasons in the NBA.

Nicknamed the "Point God", Paul was a 12-time All-Star selection and two-time Olympic gold medalist, boasting a career that will surely merit induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Paul made the announcement on the first day of the NBA's All-Star weekend at the home of the Los Angeles Clippers in Inglewood, California.

Paul spent his final season - an abbreviated one - with the Clippers, who sent him home in December and wound up trading him to Toronto earlier this month before the Raptors waived him shortly after.

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Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James recorded 28 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds in his team's win over the Dallas Mavericks, becoming the oldest NBA player to score a triple-double.
Paul spent eight of his 21 NBA seasons with the LA Clippers
Image: Paul spent eight of his 21 NBA seasons with the LA Clippers

The Raptors knew Paul would never play in Toronto, and that begged the question about whether the Wake Forest legend would try to finish the season with another team in pursuit of the thing he never got - an NBA title.

The answer came Friday. He's done. He said last summer that he has hated missing events with his children over the last few years, and now he can devote himself much more to his family and other interests.

"It's time for me to show up for others and in other ways," Paul wrote on a social media post, announcing the decision.

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He strongly hinted earlier this season that this year was going to be his last.

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Paul was a four-time All-NBA first team selection, and he ranks second in NBA history with 12,552 assists and 2,728 steals. He was the first player to score at least 20,000 points while recording at least 10,000 assists; LeBron James and Russell Westbrook have both since done that as well.

Paul became arguably the most accomplished player in Clippers franchise history while leading the team to six winning seasons from 2011-17, including the Clippers' first two Pacific Division titles and three playoff series victories. He returned to Los Angeles as a free agent last July, rejoining a franchise where he is loved by fans - but it went bad quickly, and Paul's last game with the Clippers was Dec. 1.

"While this chapter of being an 'NBA player' is done, the game of basketball will forever be engrained in the DNA of my life, spanning three decades," Paul wrote. "It's crazy even saying that!! Playing basketball for a living has been an unbelievable blessing that also came with lost of responsibility. I embraced it all."

Paul is one of seven players to have an NBA career span at least 21 seasons. And he's already in the Hall of Fame: the 2008 Olympic 'Redeem Team' was enshrined as part of the 2025 class. He will be hoping he has earned his own nomination after his illustrious career comes to an end.

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