👑 The End of the Point God: Chris Paul Announces Retirement

One of the most decorated and influential point guards in NBA history, Chris Paul, has announced that the 2025-26 season will be his last in the league. The announcement, made via a heartfelt social media post on Saturday, November 22, 2025, confirmed that the 40-year-old, nicknamed the "Point God," will conclude his 21-season career after his current final run with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Paul's decision, which he teased earlier in the year, comes during a challenging final season with the Clippers, the franchise he led during the iconic "Lob City" era.

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I. A Statistical and Accolade Colossus

Chris Paul's legacy is defined by his elite floor generalship, unparalleled efficiency, and an individual awards list that places him among the greatest players of all time.

📊 All-Time Statistical Ranks

Paul's mastery of the point guard position is reflected in his all-time ranks:

• Assists: 2nd all-time (trailing only John Stockton) with 12,532 career assists.

• Steals: 2nd all-time (trailing only John Stockton) with 2,727 career steals.

• Points/Assists Milestone: He is one of only two players in NBA history, alongside LeBron James, to record 20,000+ career points and 10,000+ career assists.

🏅 Individual Honors

• NBA 75th Anniversary Team

• 12x NBA All-Star

• 11x All-NBA Selection (4x First Team)

• 9x NBA All-Defensive Selection (7x First Team)

• 2006 NBA Rookie of the Year

• 5x NBA Assists Leader

• 6x NBA Steals Leader (A modern-era record)

• 2x Olympic Gold Medalist (2008, 2012)

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II. The Legacy: An Unmatched Floor General

Paul’s impact transcended statistics. He was a master of the pick-and-roll, boasting an elite mid-range game, and possessed an unmatched basketball IQ that allowed him to dissect defenses and elevate the performance of every team he joined.

The Team Trajectory

Paul has the unique distinction of having immediately transformed every franchise he played for into a winning organization:

• New Orleans Hornets (2005-2011): He took a team that won 18 games before his arrival and led them to a franchise-record 56 wins and the second seed in the West in his third season (2007-08), where he finished second in MVP voting.

• Los Angeles Clippers (2011-2017): He was the catalyst for the "Lob City" era, turning the historically unsuccessful Clippers into a perennial playoff contender, making the playoffs in all six of his seasons there.

• Houston Rockets (2017-2019): In 2018, he helped the Rockets win a franchise-record 65 games and reach the Western Conference Finals, famously coming within one game of the NBA Finals.

• Phoenix Suns (2020-2023): He was the instrumental veteran leader who helped guide the Suns to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1993 in 2021.

The Championship Asterisk

Despite his overwhelming personal success, Paul's career is notably defined by the one major absence on his résumé: an NBA Championship. He reached the NBA Finals only once (with the Suns in 2021), where his team fell to the Milwaukee Bucks. Injuries to himself or his teammates often derailed deep playoff runs, creating a narrative of "what-if" surrounding his chase for a ring.

Regardless of the missing trophy, the "Point God" revolutionized the point guard position through his uncompromising defense, hyper-efficient play, and relentless command of the game's tempo.

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Paul is currently finishing his final season with the Los Angeles Clippers, where he is now serving in a diminished, bench role. His last game will mark the end of one of the most storied and significant careers in NBA history.