Former Houston Rockets Star Chris Paul Announces Retirement

Paul has 12 All-Star appearances, 11 All-NBA appearances, a Rookie of the Year award (2005-06) and is a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. The six-foot floor general is known best for his elite playmaking, averaging 22.8 points, 11 assists and 2.8 steals at his peak (2008-09).

With the Rockets, Paul was still extremely productive, averaging 17.1 points, five rebounds, eight assists and 1.8 steals across 116 regular-season games. In his first season with the team, Houston made it all the way to Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals, nearly defeating the Golden State Warriors led by Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

Houston went up 3-2 in that series, with Paul averaging 19.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.8 steals in five games before suffering a hamstring injury that caused him to miss Games 6 and 7. Without the floor general, the Rockets would fail to produce efficient offense, and the Warriors came back to win the series.

The following season, Houston would fall to Golden State once again, this time in the second round of the playoffs. That series went to six games, with Paul averaging 16.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.7 assists.

With the then-34-year-old's age starting to show, the Rockets swung for the fences by trading Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder for former MVP Russell Westbrook. Many pointed to tensions with James Harden as a big reason for the six-foot star's departure, but now the two are back together on the Clippers in different roles.

While his time in Texas was short, Paul will be remembered for getting the Rockets better during Harden's peak. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest point guards of all time, and will be viewed in a positive light in Houston for what the team could have accomplished if not for one injury.