Chris Paul Announces Retirement

- Drafted 4th overall in the 2005 NBA draft by the New Orleans Hornets, he was named Rookie of the Year and is the only player in NBA history to lead the league in steals as a rookie. - Paul is the first player in NBA history to record 20,000 career points and 10,000 career assists. He ranks third on the all-time career assists list. - He led the league in assists five times and set a record by leading the league in steals six times. Paul was also a 12-time NBA All-Star, an 11-time All-NBA selection, and a nine-time All-Defensive Team selection. - In 2011, a trade that would have sent Paul from the Hornets to the Los Angeles Lakers was controversially vetoed by the NBA, which owned the Hornets at the time. He was instead traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, ushering in the memorable "Lob City" era with teammates Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. - After stints with the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder, he led the Phoenix Suns to the NBA Finals in 2021, the only finals appearance of his career. The following season, he helped the team to a franchise-record 64 wins. - Beyond his on-court achievements, Paul served as the president of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) for eight years, from 2013 to 2021. During his tenure, he was instrumental in negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement and navigating the league's return to play during the COVID-19 pandemic. - Paul has also built a significant business portfolio off the court, with endorsement deals with State Farm and Jordan Brand, and investments in various companies. In 2025, he launched The Chris Paul Collective to manage his business ventures, which include a production company and minority ownership stakes in sports teams like the NWSL's Angel City FC.