Chris Paul took basketball players by surprise as he told journalist Jemele Hill that he hopes to play one more season in the NBA before saying farewell to the game he adores.
The former Wake Forest legend has almost won it all in professional basketball: he’s a two-time Olympic gold medalist playing for Team USA (2008 in Beijing and 2012 in London). Nine-time All-Star (2007-08 through 2015-16).
Paul has also been named All-NBA First Team four times, and he’s been a member of NBA All-Defensive First Team seven times and Second Team twice. The only thing missing in his brilliant career is a Larry O’Brien Trophy. As a matter of fact, he has only played one NBA Finals series – with the Phoenix Suns, which ended up losing to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.
Chris Paul could be playing close to LeBron James
Chris Paul could return to the Los Angeles Clippers, a team he played for from 2011 to 2017 before getting traded to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Patrick Beverly, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, Lou Williams, a pick and cash considerations.
The Clippers remain hopeful the veteran point guard will choose to return to the franchise. Meanwhile, the Associated Press‘ Tim Reynolds reported that Paul’s desire to be a starter is a key reason why he has yet to make a decision in free agency, after he played for the San Antonio Spurs for one season. The California team currently have three point guards on its roster: James Harden, Kris Dunn and Norman Powell.
And we have to remember that the only time Paul came off the bench was during his lone year with the Golden State Warriors, where he appeared in 58 games and started just 18 of them. CP3 wants to leave the game on top, and that means that he must be a starter for the NBA team he chooses to play for.
Chris Paul is a future Hall of Famer
Chris Paul is no doubt a future NBA Hall of Famer, with multiple accolades throughout his career. He’s one of three players in league history listed 6’0″ or shorter with 800+ games played to have shot 47 percent or better from the floor (Calvin Murphy and Avery Johnson).
He ranks ninth in NBA history in assists (8,708) and 12th in steals (2,008) and is first among active players in both. Joins Jason Kidd, Gary Payton, and John Stockton as the only players with 8,000+ assists and 2,000+ steals. Has averaged at least 18 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds in fewer than 32.0 minutes in each of the past two seasons. No other player has done so once in NBA history.
Off the court, Chris Paul is viewed as one of the most respectable NBA players. He was a recipient of 2016 ESPYs “Humanitarian of the Year” award and the 2016 Mannie Jackson Human Spirit Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Read the full article here
