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Chris Paul looks set to take his final dance. The 2025-2026 NBA season will likely be the future Hall of Famer’s last.
On Saturday, ESPN reported that Paul plans to step down when this season ends. Last month, Paul took the court to start his 21st NBA season.
“Back in NC!!! What a trip… Still so much to go…GRATEFUL for this last one!!” Paul, a North Carolina native, posted the X Saturday morning along with a video montage of him in the uniforms of teams he’s played for and other milestone moments.
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Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) celebrates a basket in the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota on March 8, 2017. (Brad Rempel/USA TODAY Sports)
Paul’s reported retirement decision comes months after the star guard agreed to a one-year contract to return to the Los Angeles Clippers.
New Orleans selected Paul in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft. He left the Crescent City after the 2010-2011 season for the Clippers and spent the next six seasons in Southern California.
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Shortly after signing the deal, Paul suggested that he had not reached a conclusion about his basketball future. He would instead enjoy all that the NBA season would bring.
Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) runs the ball down the court in the third quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Staples Center on January 10, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Kelvin Kuo/USA TODAY Sports)
“I think throughout this season, at some point — guys that I know have retired and all these different kinds of things — you know, and you figure it out,” Paul told ESPN’s Malika Andrews in July. “That tells you. But I think more than anything, this season I’m definitely going to enjoy it. I’m not taking it for granted.”
Chris Paul (3) of the Phoenix Suns dribbles the ball against the Denver Nuggets during Round 2 Game 2 of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on May 1, 2023 at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. (Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)
Paul is averaging 2.5 points and 3.3 assists per game this season while logging just over 13 minutes on the hardwood each game. The Clippers entered Saturday afternoon’s game against the Charlotte Hornets with a 4-11 record.
