Chris Paul, a sure Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible, has retired from professional basketball after playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 21 seasons.
Dubbed “The Point God,” the 40-year-old Paul announced his retirement in an Instagram post last 14 February, a day after the Toronto Raptors waived him and 10 days after the Los Angeles Clippers traded him to the only NBA franchise with Canadian roots.
What a way to announce you’re done playing — via social media.
This ongoing NBA season was supposed to be Paul’s farewell tour — with the very same city he helped make popular and exciting basketball-wise along with the likes of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan from 2011 to 2017 when it was dubbed “Lob City.”
Paul, who started with the New Orleans Pelicans and also had stops at Houston, Oklahoma, Phoenix, Golden State and San Antonio, had earlier announced this was going to be his last season when he turned full circle and returned to Los Angeles.
But lo and behold, there was no farewell tour as he was controversially sent packing in a three-team trade that also involved Brooklyn.
The Clippers camp continued to be mum on why Paul was traded although rumors have been swirling since.
But what a way to treat a 12-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA First Team, five-time All-NBA Second Team, two-time All-NBA Third Team, seven-time All-Defensive First Team member, two-time All-Defensive Second Team, five-time assists leader, six-time steals leader, a former Rookie of the Year (2006), All-Star Game MVP (2013), a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team and ranked second all-time in career assists and steals.
And for somebody who’s listed only six feet (I personally believe he’s less than six feet, actually), those feats are remarkable.
Maybe that’s why many Filipino basketball fans look up to him because he is a living proof that even if you’re small, you can still make it big in a sport where height is often might.
In fairness, many other NBA greats never had farewell tours to end their respective careers. In that list are the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon, Allen Iverson, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Isiah Thomas and Scottie Pippen. Most of them bounced around to other teams and just faded into obscurity or injuries cut short their careers.
But each of these other players’ jersey numbers were retired by the teams they played for in their primes and given a proper ceremony for it.
It is also something the Clippers have said they will eventually do for Paul, although I still think it will never be enough to make up for what would’ve been a farewell tour for an arguably future top five point guard of all-time.
Players like Paul deserve to be treated better. Many of his colleagues have said so in many social media posts, something which have become like a mini-storyline in the league over the last two to three months. Griffin, Dwayne Wade, Donovan Mitchell have all spoken up.
More so in the Philippines where there is no Players Union like in the NBA and salary levels have been overtaken by many Asian countries, players deserve better when they hang up their sneakers.
In my more than 30 years of being involved in this sport Filipinos love so much, I have learned many of them are even not that equipped to handle life after playing professionally.
Sure some of them have earned a lot, but sometimes it’s more than just money.