The general consensus has been that Chris Paul will be playing his final NBA season in 2025-26.
When ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news that CP3 was returning to the Los Angeles Clippers, he called it his “likely final” season.
But not so fast.
On Monday night, ESPN’s Malika Andrews revealed that Paul “isn’t ruling out playing beyond the 2025-26 season.”
Paul, 40, clearly loves ball. He could’ve retired a while ago, but instead, he started all 82 games for the Spurs this past season.
Now he’s back with the Clippers, for whom he originally played from 2011 through 2017. In those six seasons, he averaged 18.8 points, 9.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game.
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This past season for the Spurs, Paul averaged 8.8 points, 7.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
Paul is intelligent and crafty enough to make his game work, even now.
Obviously, Andrews’ report doesn’t mean Paul won’t retire after this season. But he’s made it a point to leave the door open. He doesn’t seem to want a retirement tour.
And with that, the speculation can begin.
Will Paul outlast LeBron? Will they team up next year? Anything seems possible right now.
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