Chris Paul is now looking to enjoy his personal time after he recently announced his retirement from the NBA.
Paul built an illustrious career in 20 seasons, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest guards in league history. He should be a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame once he becomes eligible.
The 40-year-old Paul looked forward to a farewell season in his return to the Los Angeles Clippers. But things quickly went south, with the Clippers surprisingly releasing Paul before their game against the Atlanta Hawks in December.
CP3 remained positive that he would find another team. But he also stayed realistic, setting a self-imposed deadline before deciding to walk away, as he shared on “7 PM in Brooklyn.”
“When all that stuff happened, I trained and worked out, obviously, I was in Atlanta. I had a whole bunch of my family in Atlanta for that game. My brother happened to be there, a few of my homies,” said Paul.
“Then we flew back, and I was working out and training, and I talked to a few of my friends, and I was like, ‘I’m going to give myself a deadline. If I’m not on a team by a certain point, All-Star (Weekend), I’ll be done with it.'”
At the trade deadline in February, the 12-time All-Star was traded to the Toronto Raptors in a three-team deal involving the Brooklyn Nets. The Raptors, however, immediately waived Paul.
Some posited that Paul, who has career averages of 16.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and 2.0 steals, might eventually land with either the Houston Rockets, the Los Angeles Lakers, or the San Antonio Spurs, but nothing came to fruition.
While Paul's exit from the NBA was not ideal, he will forever be remembered as a great competitor and a fearless leader.
