Chris Paul, the “Point God” who was a 12-time All-Star selection and two-time Olympic gold medalist, announced his retirement Friday in the capper of a 21-season career that surely will merit induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Paul, 40, made the announcement on the first day of NBA All- Star Weekend at the home of the Los Angeles Clippers in Inglewood, Calif. Paul spent his final season — an abbreviated one — with the Clippers, who sent him home in December and wound up trading him to the Toronto Raptors earlier this month. The Raptors knew Paul never would play in Toronto, and that begged the question about whether the Wake Forest legend would try to finish the season with another team in pursuit of the thing he never got — an NBA title. The answer came Friday. He’s done. He said last summer that he has hated missing events with his children over the last few years, and now he can devote himself much more to his family and other interests. “It’s time for me to show up for others and in other ways,” Paul wrote on a social media post, announcing the decision. He strongly hinted earlier this season that this would be his last. Paul was a four-time first-team All-NBA selection and ranks second in NBA history with 12,552 assists and 2,728 steals. He was the first player to score at least 20,000 points while recording at least 10,000 assists; LeBron James and Russell Westbrook have since done that as well. Paul became arguably the most accomplished player in franchise history while leading the Clippers to six winning seasons from 2011-17, including their first two Pacific Division titles and three playoff series victories. Paul returned to Los Angeles as a free agent in July, rejoining a franchise where he is loved by fans — but it went bad quickly, and Paul’s last game with the Clippers was Dec. 1. It turned out to be his last NBA game, period. “While this chapter of being an ‘NBA player’ is done, the game of basketball will forever be engrained in the DNA of my life, spanning three decades,” Paul wrote. “It’s crazy even saying that!! Playing basketball for a living has been an unbelievable blessing that also came with lots of responsibility. I embraced it all.” Paul is one of seven players to have an NBA career span at least 21 seasons. And he already is in the Hall of Fame: The 2008 Olympic “Redeem Team” was enshrined as part of the 2025 class. It won’t be long before he goes in on his own as well. ...read more read less