The Point God deserved better than this in his final NBA season

It’s the end of an era.

Chris Paul, also known as the ‘Point God’, announced he is ‘retiring from basketball’ after being cut by the Toronto Raptors.

It’s an unceremonious ending for the 12-time All-Star, five-time assist champion, six-time steals champion and 11-time All-NBA talent.

After starting the 2025-2026 season with the Los Angeles Clippers for what was supposed to be a farewell tour, CP3 was abruptly sent home when the Clippers opted to part ways with the former franchise star.

The Clips ultimately made moves before the trade deadline to trade James Harden away to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a younger point guard in Darius Garland before shipping center Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers in what appears to be the start of a complete franchise reset. Paul was traded to the Toronto Raptors, who ultimately decided to part ways with Paul, prompting him to retire.

CP3 deserved more than this

Paul was a surefire Hall of Famer who was the head of the snake for some of the most fun New Orleans teams to watch before becoming the maestro of LA’s “Lob City.” Paul also had a huge impact for the Phoenix Suns later in his career.

Despite being in his mid-30s when he headed to The Valley, Paul was still an impressive floor general. He made back-to-back All-Star teams during his first two seasons with the Suns, helping guide Phoenix back to the NBA Finals for the first time since Charles Barkley’s Suns got there in 1993 — a nearly 30-year gap in Finals appearances.

During that 2020-2021 season, Paul made the All-NBA Second Team in addition to the All-Star nod and finished fifth in the MVP voting. He averaged 16.4 points, 8.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while making 49.9% of his field goals, 39.5% of his three-pointers and a league-leading 93.4% of his free throw attempts. That’s about as close as you can get to a 50-40-90 season.

After three seasons in Phoenix, highlighted by a 2021 NBA Finals appearance, Paul was shipped off in the ill-fated three-team trade with the Washington Wizards that brought Bradley Beal to The Valley.

Although his time with the Suns was short-lived, the Point God endeared himself to yet another fan base after spending much of his career as one of Phoenix’s Western Conference rivals.

Whatever the future holds for Paul, he should be remembered as one of the best point guards to ever play the game. He ends his career ranked fifth all-time in win shares with 215.2 of them. That’s ahead of all-time greats like Michael Jordan, John Stockton, Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki.

Elite company, that’s for sure.