Basketball legend Chris Paul officially retires from the NBA

KET. PHOTO: NBA basketball legend Chris Paul has decided to retire. (Dok/INSTAGRAM @cp3)

JAKARTA - Basketball legend Chris Paul, whose full name is Christopher Emmanuel Paul, officially decided to retire from the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is one of the great legends in the history of the sport.

The retirement announcement was made by Paul through his official Instagram social media account on Friday local time or Saturday, February 14, 2026. He left the sport that made his name without a championship ring.

"Here it is! After 21 years, I'm leaving basketball," wrote Paul, who left the sport with the second-highest all-time assist and steal records.

Paul, who was elected four times to the All-NBA team, had previously given a strong signal at the beginning of the 2025-2026 season that this would be his last year.

During his playing career, Paul was named an All-Star 12 times, an All-NBA team member 11 times, an All-Defensive team member nine times, Rookie of the Year in 2006, won two Olympic gold medals, and is a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

Paul is confirmed to immediately enter the Hall of Fame and be remembered as one of the greatest point guards to ever play in the world's most prestigious basketball competition.

During his 21-year career, the player nicknamed Point God scored 23,058 points, gave 12,552 assists, grabbed 6,006 rebounds, and made 2,728 steals in a total of 1,370 matches he played.

"Chris Paul retired as one of the greatest point guards in NBA history and a true leader of our sport," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.

In addition, Paul is also the first player to score at least 20 thousand points while recording at least 10 thousand assists. LeBron James and Russell Westbrook have also made records so far.