Chris Paul hints at retirement from NBA: ‘At the most, a year’

“At the most, a year,” said Paul. “You know, I just finished my 20th season, which is a blessing in itself. Yeah, I’ve been in the NBA for more than half of my life, you know, which is a blessing.”

“Yeah, (at most a year), straight up,” Paul said. “I ain’t going to lie to you.”

Paul, the No. 4 pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, has played for two decades now in the league with the New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, and San Antonio Spurs. He, a 12-time selection as an All-Star, 11-time choice as All-NBA, a nine-time honoree on All-Defense, a two-time gold medalist at the Olympics, and a member of the NBA’s Top-75 Team, has averaged 17 points (47% FG, 37% 3PT), 9.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game in that career. That has him Top-40 all-time in scoring, Top-20 in minutes and games played, and second overall in history in assists and steals behind only John Stockton.

Whenever he does eventually hang it up, CP3 is certain to be a First Ballot Hall of Famer. However, he does expect to play one more season with him not at all knowing where he’ll be having it as he’s right now an unrestricted free agent.

“I honestly don’t know. Seriously, I don’t. I don’t,” Paul said of his next franchise. “It’s actually a weird place to be in because, for my entire career, I’ve pretty much always known – I mean, last summer, I was an unrestricted free agent too. But, for most of my career, I’ve always had an idea of where I was going to play the next year. But, no clue.”

“The plan is to play,” added Paul, though.

That said, Paul, who recently turned 40, noted how the stage of life that he’s in is affecting his retirement plans. He mentioned how “extremely tough” mentally this past year was in San Antonio in what was year twenty for him, averaging 8.8 points (42.7% FG, 37.7% 3PT), 7.4 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals in starting in every game of a season for the first time ever of his pro career. That’s because of being apart from his family for the sixth straight season, which is why he said they and the rest of his loved ones will be considered most in how his time on a basketball court goes on to end.

“My wife and my kids are in LA…My wife and my kids have been in LA all six of those years. So, that’s tough. I love to play basketball but I love my kids and my family more,” said Paul. “That is going to weigh a huge part on my decision on what happens next year.

“These years, you do not get back with your kids, with your family,” Paul continued. “I’m born and raised in North Carolina, so my granny, who watches every single game that I play every single night? I just, those moments, I just don’t get to see her and hug her, along with all my uncles and aunts, as much as I’d love to.”

Paul still has to sign somewhere with free agency having started as he’s been available on the open market for almost a week now. Once he does, though, we’ll know where an all-time player will be spending what sounds like it’ll be his final season in the NBA.