With Chris Paul set to hit free agency, officially completing his one-year contract with the San Antonio Spurs, he is now deciding whether he wants to continue playing basketball or retire to become more of a family man.
Despite him preparing himself mentally and physically to play next season, the 40-year-old has made it clear he is putting his wife and children first in whatever decision he makes. He has made it known he has no answers to anything relating to his future in the NBA.
Paul’s family is in Los Angeles, which could prompt him to relocate his talents to the west coast to be closer to them. He admitted publicly that he has been away from his family for six seasons, which has taken a toll on him mentally. The veteran point guard has expressed how he can’t get that time back with his loved ones.
“It’s with my family more than anything,” Paul said. “My son just turned 16. My daughter is 12. The past six seasons, I’ve lived without them. I go to San Antonio, Phoenix, Golden State — they were in Houston with me — Oklahoma City… I’ve been around a few teams, but I’ve been away from them the last six years. It’s a little different. That’s the conversation.”
“Well, I don’t think I want to play for a while,” Paul said. “I’m being honest with you — I want to be Dad. I still love to play. I was up in the gym at 6 am this morning. Yesterday, I was in the gym. Day before, I was in the gym. It’s crazy. You know, my daughter actually hoops now, so before I flew out here, I was in the gym with her for 20 minutes. With kids, sometimes you gotta do short sessions, so I was in 20 minutes doing ball handling with her, and it was priceless. You don’t get that time back.”
