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

It’s the end of an era.

Chris Paul, otherwise known as the “Point God,” announced that he’s “stepping away from basketball” after being waived by the Toronto Raptors.

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

After starting the 2025-26 season with the Los Angeles Clippers for what was meant to become a farewell tour, CP3 was abruptly sent home as the Clippers opted to part ways with the former franchise star.

The Clips ultimately made moves ahead of the trade deadline to deal away James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a younger point guard in Darius Garland before shipping away center Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers in what appears to be the beginnings of a full franchise reset. Paul was traded to the Toronto Raptors, who ultimately decided to waive Paul, prompting his decision to retire.

CP3 deserved more than this

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 “Lob City” in LA, Paul also had a huge impact later in his career for the Phoenix Suns.

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

During that 2020-21 season, Paul made All-NBA Second Team in addition to the All-Star nod and finished fifth in 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 3-pointers and a league-leading 93.4% of his free throw attempts. That's about as close to a 50-40-90 season as you can get.

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

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

Elite company, to be sure.