Just a few months ago, it appeared as if Chris Paul was prepping for his retirement tour after telling The Atlantic writer Jemele Hill that he only planned to play one more year in an interview at the American Black Film Festival. As a reminder, the 12-time All-Star has played for seven franchises in his storied career. Of those, his tenures with the New Orleans Hornets (who are now the New Orleans Pelicans), Los Angeles Clippers, and Phoenix Suns are remembered the most favorably. In fact, the 20-year veteran played 15 combined seasons for those organizations, his six-year stints with the Hornets and the Clippers the longest.
Clippers Legend Chris Paul ‘Ain’t Putting A Date On’ Retirement
This summer, only the Clippers and Suns appeared to have extended conversations with Paul, who had entered free agency after a truly solid 2024-25 campaign with the San Antonio Spurs.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Paul ended up settling on L.A., where he had the best stretch of his career. The floor general for what became known as “Lob City,” he led the Clippers into relevancy alongside fellow stars Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. At the same time, it was well-known that Paul wanted to be closer to his family in Los Angeles.
Of course, Paul had his most fruitful playoff run with the Suns, reaching the NBA Finals in 2021. However, Phoenix was rumored to have been concerned by how Paul’s leadership style might clash with first-year head coach Jordan Ott’s. This prompted them to bypass a reunion despite franchise cornerstone Devin Booker‘s vote of confidence.
Who would have thought that after his rather meticulous coordination, he would have hedged his bet on retiring after the season?
Hedging His Bet
In an interview with Underground Lounge host Lou Williams, a three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year, Paul goes deep into his thinking process about the upcoming season. Asked directly by Williams whether this will be his final season in the NBA, the 40-year-old says:
“I don’t know yet. I ain’t putting a date on it.”
“But I do know I’m not going to take it for granted,” he adds. “I’m going to enjoy each moment—traveling to the different cities, and take it all in, ’cause this is wild.”
With that statement, retirement definitely sounds as if it’s still on the table. However, whether those are the cards he’ll play when the 2025-26 season wraps up could truly be in doubt. That outcome wouldn’t align with what Paul said in July but it would match up with what he said in April. At the time, Paul confirmed that he would be returning for his 21st season, and he’ll make the decision to return year-by-year.
In conclusion, there is no conclusion for Paul … yet. All that can be sure is that when he’s ready to close this chapter of his life, he’ll go down as one of the greatest players in basketball history.
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