Chris Paul has enjoyed an unbelievably prosperous NBA career. Paul, who turned 40 years old in May, recently signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, returning to an organization for which he starred and perhaps taking one final victory lap in the process. With that move, many have discussed Paul's already impressive Hall of Fame case and whether it needs to be bolstered in any way, shape, or form.
Simply put, Chris Paul could retire today and cruise into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Perhaps that could be viewed as a controversial statement, but it should not be. For one, the good folks at Basketball-Reference already give Paul a 100 percent (!) Hall of Fame probability. That should be enough to quell any doubt but, because that is based on a statistical formula, it is perhaps worthwhile to explore Paul's career exploits.
He is a 12-time NBA All-Star, which is something that no player outside of the Hall of Fame can match. He is also an 11-time All-NBA selection, a six-time NBA steals champion, a five-time NBA assists champion, a nine-time All-Defensive selection, and a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. Paul is also No. 36 on the all-time NBA scoring list, despite being a pass-first point guard, and he is the active career leader in assists (12,499). Paul is second all-time in assists, trailing only John Stockton, and he is No. 6 all-time with 9.2 assists per game over his extended career. Paul also has the active career lead in total steals (2,717) and steals per game (2.0), and he is one of the most efficient scoring guards in NBA history.
The list could go on ... and on ... and on ... of Paul's illustrious accomplishments, but the case is open and shut that he should, and will, be heading to the Hall of Fame in Springfield. With that out of the way, there is still at least one thing that Paul will be looking to add to his trophy case.
How could Chris Paul bolster his stellar résumé?
Contrary to popular belief, Chris Paul has been awesome in the NBA Playoffs. He has career averages of 20.0 points, 8.3 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game in 149 playoff appearances, and he has a PER north of 23 in those outings. However, Paul has not been a member of a championship team, falling short in a number of high-profile ways, headlined by his time with the Clippers and the Houston Rockets.
This time around, the Clippers are certainly not the favorites to come out of the Western Conference and make the 2026 NBA Finals. That honor belongs to the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder, and both the Denver Nuggets and Houston Rockets currently have better betting odds to reach the NBA Finals than the Clippers do. It is also fair to say that L.A. now has a roster that is fully capable of making a Cinderella run, particularly if health is on their side.
The Clippers have a very encouraging depth chart of players. In the backcourt, Paul joins James Harden and Bradley Beal among players with All-Star pedigree, and the Clippers also have Kris Dunn and Bogdan Bogdanović to provide defensive and offensive punch, respectively. At the forward spots, Kawhi Leonard is still one of the best players in the world when healthy, and the Clippers also have John Collins, Nic Batum, and Derrick Jones Jr. to provide starting-caliber play. At center, the Clippers boast a dynamic combination of Ivica Zubac (who was one of the best centers in the NBA a season ago) and Brook Lopez, and while L.A. is an older team that could be prone to injury, the immense ceiling is clear for this group if things break in the right direction.
It is more than fair to point out that Leonard, Harden, Paul, Lopez, and Beal have all seen better days in their careers, but each has an intriguing skill set to pair with someone like Zubac who is in the midst of his prime. As for Paul, this is perhaps "one last ride" through the NBA but, even with absolutely nothing to prove before taking his place alongside the all-time greats at the point guard position, he could certainly use a deep playoff run to silence some of the often misplaced doubts.