Chris Paul's retirement will touch the hearts of millions across the world at the end of the season, as he officially announced his plans on Saturday afternoon, just before the LA Clippers visited the Charlotte Hornets. Additionally, Paul's exit from the game ends the era of smaller point guards impacting the league at a high level.
At 40 years old, Paul is one of the last members of his breed, and particularly of those who are first-ballot hall-of-famers. There is seemingly no one in the NBA at roughly six feet, with an IQ as great as his, or even remotely close, that has a long list of records and a credible resume.
The only comparable talent is Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks. Yet, other than him, nobody is a close-enough clone to Paul, in terms of his size and ability to run an offense through passing and reliable facilitation.
Size and versatility have taken over the NBA to a near maximum capacity
Chris Paul's farewell stats so far are the least impressive of anything he has ever put up, with 2.5 points and 3.8 assists per game, but the bright side is that no one will even be able to recall this season with so many great ones stacked up consecutively.
Moreover, next season, with Paul in his first year of retirement, a majority of the NBA's point guards will be reluctant on size and versatility. This is the new wave, as the 12-time All-Star's career will be over, and others like Rajon Rondo and Isaiah Thomas have been away from the NBA for quite some time.
In fact, the league is led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic, two of its faces. Both are point guards, but bigger, stronger, with a more expansive arsenal, who have previously been MVP finalists simultaneously, with Gilgeous-Alexander winning it in 2025.
Thus, it may end up turning out to be a long time, possibly years on end, before someone with a skillset like Paul's enters the league and wins with undersized playmaking. This is because most teams are already hesitant to draft quality players with a size disadvantage.
That said, Paul deserves not one, but several rounds of applause, and the longest standing ovation possible, for starring for close to two decades. He will always be remembered as a key contributor to basketball and will inevitably walk away as the lone soldier built differently.