Chris Paul was the 4th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Hornets. After 20 seasons in the NBA, Paul now finds himself on the doorstep of being a first-ballot Hall of Famer. At 40 years old, retirement is nearing for Paul in what has been one of the best careers we have seen from a point guard in NBA history.
However, Paul proved during the 2024-25 season with the San Antonio Spurs that he can still be an impactful talent. That is why he is expected to draw interest from several playoff threats in the offseason as an unrestricted free agent.
As for Paul’s immediate future in the league and how much longer he is planning to play, the 20-year veteran guard admitted that his family will play a major factor in his eventual retirement.
“It’s with my family more than anything,” Paul said while appearing on the Pat McAfee Show on Thursday. “My son just turned 16. My daughter is 12. The past six seasons, I’ve lived without them. I go to San Antonio, Phoenix, Golden State — they were in Houston with me — Oklahoma City… I’ve been around a few teams, but I’ve been away from them the last six years. It’s a little different. That’s the conversation.”
Paul made it clear that his body is good and he still believes he can play at the level he wants to in the NBA. Then again, Paul hesitated when McAfee asked him if he sees himself playing for a while longer.
“Well, I don’t think I want to play for a while. I’m being honest with you — I want to be Dad. I still love to play. I was up in the gym at 6 am this morning. Yesterday, I was in the gym. Day before, I was in the gym. It’s crazy. You know, my daughter actually hoops now, so before I flew out here, I was in the gym with her for 20 minutes. With kids, sometimes you gotta do short sessions, so I was in 20 minutes doing ball handling with her, and it was priceless.
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“You don’t get that time back.”
Although he may not have laid out a clear timetable for how much longer he will be in the NBA, Paul’s desire to spend more time with his family could result in the 2025-26 season being his last. As players age, you never know how much longer they will be in the league, much like how LeBron James is constantly asked about when he will ultimately retire.
James and Paul are best friends, and they are two of the 11 players in NBA history to play at least 20 seasons. Could these two legends potentially team up at the end of their respective careers with the Los Angeles Lakers?
Time will tell what the immediate future holds for Chris Paul, as it doesn’t appear he will be retiring this offseason.
