After 21 seasons in the NBA that saw him named the 2005-06 NBA Rookie of the Year, a 12-time All-Star, and a member of the league’s 75th Anniversary team, Chris Paul decided last week that he has officially played enough in the league. But at just 40 years old, Paul’s next career could just be starting.
Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reports that the point guard may be trading out his sneakers for a microphone, as Paul’s services as an analyst would certainly be coveted by ESPN. Paul appeared as a guest analyst on the network’s NBA Countdown show in the playoffs two years ago, and Marchand believes ESPN would be Paul’s preference if he decides to become an analyst, though working for Prime Video or NBC would also not be out of the cards for him.
What Else Could Be In Store For Chris Paul In His Post-Basketball Career?
On top of his play on the court (which saw him finish only behind John Stockton all-time in both assists and steals), Paul served four terms as the president of the NBA Players Association from 2013 until 2021. He led the players in negotiating collective bargaining agreements with the league as well as helped create the bubble that allowed the league to come back and play during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. His political savvy and experience with dealing with the owners would make Paul an ideal candidate for either joining an agency or starting his own agency to represent players in their negotiations with teams. That pivot would allow him to stay involved in league business on the inside and assist players in continuing to make strides in their favor when it comes to future collective bargaining.
If he wants to step away from the NBA, it would make sense that a rival league like BIG3 would be silly not to try and bring him in to help run things. Plenty of former players are a part of managing the league, including Clyde Drexler as its current commissioner. It would be a pretty seamless fit for Paul to lend his expertise in matters to help them grow. A role like this keeps him in the basketball world but more behind-the-scenes.
