He’s 40. In NBA years, that's basically ancient. Most guys his age are long gone, either shouting on TNT or playing golf in Scottsdale. But there was Chris Paul, late in 2025, lace-up boots on, still barking orders in the middle of an NBA floor. It’s kinda wild when you think about it. Twenty-one seasons. Most players don't even get ten. Yet, here we are in January 2026, watching the final sunset of one of the most polarizing and brilliant careers in basketball history.
Honestly, the "Point God" nickname isn't just hype. It’s a job description.
The Los Angeles Homecoming
The 2025-26 season has been weirdly poetic for Paul. After bouncing from Phoenix to Golden State and then a surprisingly impactful stint in San Antonio, he landed back with the Los Angeles Clippers. It’s where "Lob City" lived and died. Back then, he was the engine of a high-flying circus. Now? He’s the grizzled vet on a $3.6 million veteran minimum deal.
He isn't the same guy. Obviously. You can see it in the lateral quickness—or the lack of it. He’s averaging career lows across the board, barely scratching 3 points and 3 assists in about 14 minutes a night. The burst is gone. But the mind? The mind is still sharp enough to cut glass.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Ring
There is this exhausting narrative that Chris Paul is somehow a "failure" because he doesn't have a championship ring. It’s the easiest, laziest take in sports. People love to point at the 2021 Finals or the 2018 hamstring injury. Sure, the hardware is missing. But if you measure a player by how much better they make the guys around them, Paul is in a different stratosphere.
Look at what happened in San Antonio last year.
He signed a one-year deal with the Spurs for the 2024-25 season. Most people thought he was just there for a paycheck or to be a glorified babysitter for Victor Wembanyama. Instead, he played all 82 games at age 39. That’s insane. He assisted on over 120 of Wemby’s buckets. He taught Stephon Castle how to read a screen. He essentially acted as an on-court extension of Gregg Popovich.
The Spurs went from a "clutch time" disaster to a top-10 offensive team in close games. That doesn't happen by accident. It happens because a guy like Chris Paul knows exactly where every person on the floor should be at all times. He sees the play three seconds before it develops. You can't teach that. You just have to live it for two decades.
The Statistical Reality
If you’re a numbers person, the resume is basically untouchable.
- Assists: Second all-time, trailing only John Stockton.
- Steals: Second all-time, again, only behind Stockton.
- Efficiency: One of the only players in history with 20,000 points and 10,000 assists.
Numbers don't tell the whole story, though. They don't capture the way he manipulates referees or the "dark arts" of drawing fouls that drive opposing fans crazy. He’s a pest. He’s annoying. He’s the guy you hate until he’s on your team, and then you realize he’s just trying to win at any cost.
Why Retirement Feels Different This Time
On November 22, 2025, Paul finally said it. He posted a reel on Instagram while in North Carolina: "Grateful for this last one!!"
That was the confirmation. This is the farewell tour.
Unlike some players who drag it out or leave as a shell of themselves, Paul seems at peace. He’s spent more than half his life in the league. He’s mentioned his kids and his family constantly over the last year. You can tell the travel is wearing on him. The ice baths are getting longer.
But even as his physical gifts fade, his influence is everywhere. You see it in the way young guards like Tyrese Haliburton or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander control the pace. They’re all students of the CP3 school of "I’m going to go exactly the speed I want to go, and you can’t stop me."
The Chris Paul Business Machine
Don't think he’s just going to disappear into a rocking chair. The "Chris Paul Collective" is already a massive operation in Los Angeles. He’s got his hands in everything:
- Good Eat’n: His plant-based snack brand.
- Production: Ohh Dip!!! Entertainment is churning out docs for ESPN+.
- HBCUs: He’s been a massive advocate, even graduating from Winston-Salem State University in 2022.
He served as the NBPA President for eight years. He helped shape the modern CBA. The guy is a leader by nature. Whether it’s a boardroom or a locker room, he’s going to be the smartest person in the room.
The Ending Nobody Talks About
We always want the fairytale ending. We want the 60-point Kobe game or the championship parade. Real life is rarely that clean. For Chris Paul, the end might just be a quiet exit in a Clippers jersey, helping James Harden and Kawhi Leonard navigate one last playoff push.
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It won't change the legacy.
He didn't need a ring to prove he was a master. He proved it every time he threw a cross-court pass into a shooter’s pocket or stripped a ball from a center twice his size. He’s the last of a dying breed—the "True Point Guard" in an era of positionless scoring.
How to Study the CP3 Legacy
If you actually want to understand why coaches and players obsess over him, stop watching the highlights. Highlights are for dunks. Watch a full game from his Phoenix or OKC years. Watch how he talks to his teammates during every dead ball. Watch how he uses his body to shield defenders.
The Actionable Takeaways:
- Focus on Pace over Speed: Paul was rarely the fastest guy on the court, but he was always the one in control.
- Master the Basics: His mid-range jumper is a lost art, but it’s the most reliable shot in basketball when the pressure is on.
- Leadership is Accountability: He wasn't always liked, but he was always respected because he held himself to the same insane standard he held others.
When the clock finally hits zero on his career this summer, the NBA is going to feel a little bit smaller. Not because of his height, but because there will never be another floor general who understood the geometry of the game quite like him.