NBA star Chris Paul announced his retirement after 20 years

HOUSTON - In an Instagram post on Friday, NBA star and point guard Chris Paul announced he would be retiring from the sport after more than 20 years.

Paul, also known as CP3, was traded to the Toronto Raptors on Feb. 5, who then waived him on Friday. His retirement announcement came briefly after he was waived.

Chris Paul retiring after more than 20 years 

What they're saying:

In an Instagram post, Paul wrote, in part:

"This is it! After over 21 years I’m stepping away from basketball. As I write this, it’s hard to really know what to feel, but for once – most people would be surprised – I don’t have the answer lol! But, mostly I’m filled with so much joy and gratitude! While this chapter of being an 'NBA player' is done, the game of basketball will forever be engrained in the DNA of my life. I’ve been in the NBA for more than half of my life, spanning three decades. 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. The good and the bad. As a lifelong learner, leadership is hard and is not for the weak. Some will like you and many people won’t. But the goal was always the goal, and my intentions were always sincere.

"It feels really good knowing that I played and treated this game with the utmost respect since the day my dad introduced to me to it. It was the very first relationship I ever knew. Basketball gave me a reason to wake up at 5am and work out before school. It gave me a reason to find a way to get to the YMCA on snow days even when the roads were icy. It gave me a reason to be the little brother always trying to beat his big brother. It gave me a reason to earn good grades so I could have a chance to play in college. It gave me a reason to score 61 points in a game even though my grandfather had just been killed. It gave me a reason to show up and rehab day after day after the meniscus tear, the jones fracture, the separated shoulder and the 5 hand surgeries..."

Chris Paul with the Houston Rockets

Paul was traded to the Houston Rockets in 2017 and spent two seasons with them, before being traded to Oklahoma City Thunder. He played alongside James Harden during his time with the team.

In his two seasons with the team, he started all 58 of the 58 games he played. Paul averages 18.6 points per game in his first year, and 15.6 points per game in the second.

Paul was able to attend the NBA Conference Finals with the Rockets for the first time in his career in 2018.