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Chris Paul is retiring in the middle of his 21st NBA season.
The 12-time All-Star announced his retirement Friday on Instagram, abruptly ending a season-long retirement tour marred by an ugly separation from the Clippers. The announcement came moments after Paul was reportedly waived by the Raptors.
“This is it! After over 21 years, I’m stepping away from basketball,” Paul wrote in a four-slide post.
Paul retires fifth all time in career earnings with $408.2 million, behind LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and James Harden.
Los Angeles traded Paul to the Raptors on Feb. 4, a day before the NBA trade deadline. The Clippers parted ways with the point guard, who is considered one of the greatest players in franchise history, in the middle of the night during a road trip in Atlanta.
Paul posted an Instagram Story following the incident with a caption: “Just Found Out I’m Being Sent Home.” ESPN reported that Paul’s leadership style “clashed” with the organization.
The Clippers remain under investigation by the league for alleged salary cap circumvention. Soon after they parted ways with Paul, the team had an on-court resurgence, and are now just two games under .500 despite a 6–21 start to the season.
But Los Angeles also dealt Harden and Ivica Zubac at the trade deadline, signalling a rebuild rather than a push for the playoffs.
Paul’s retirement also comes on the first day of NBA All-Star Weekend hosted by the Clippers at the Intuit Dome.
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