Chris Paul’s NBA career is near the end.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania and Paul’s most recent Instagram post, the Los Angeles Clippers guard will retire from the NBA once the 2025-26 season concludes.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James was one of many NBA stars to congratulate Paul on a remarkable 21-year career, as the four-time NBA champion sent Paul a six-word message on Instagram following his early-season retirement announcement.
“Point God!!!,” James stated. “Been a helluva ride.”
While James and Paul never had the opportunity to play alongside one another in the big leagues, they had the luxury of battling each other several times during All-Star weekend (when James competed with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference, and Paul competed with the Clippers in the Western Conference).
There’s no question that James and Paul are future Hall of Famers who will go down as two of the most gifted players to ever compete in the NBA. That said, the two influential contributors are headed in opposite directions in 2025-26.
James, who missed the start of the year due to sciatica, has proven he can still do a little bit of everything at age 40.
The 21-time All-Star finished his season debut against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday with 11 points and 12 assists in 30 minutes, helping the Lakers walk away with a 140-126 victory.
Paul, on the other hand, has been far from serviceable with the Clippers this season, averaging only 2.5 points and 3.3 assists while shooting 27.3% from the field and 27.3% from deep, showing that age has finally caught up to the 12-time All-Star.
Still, Paul has plenty to be proud of as his NBA career begins to wind down.
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