Spurs' Chris Paul Downplays Retirement, Thinks He'll Play in 2025-26 NBA Season

Chris Paul believes he could continue his NBA career beyond the 2024-25 season.

The San Antonio Spurs guard is nearing his 40th birthday and in his 20th NBA season. While he could ride off into the sunset following this season, he expressed that his desire to "keep playing" and that it will depend on how his "body feels."

“I’ll be 40 in May. So, yeah man, I’m going to keep playing, I think,” Paul said, per Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “At the end of every season, I evaluate everything. Evaluate playing. Evaluate how my body feels. But the more years that go by, it’s more conversations with my family, with my kids. They have a lot of say so. They got a lot of input."

He also noted that some of his retired friends have advised him to keep playing.

“Obviously, I got a lot of homies, friends that have retired or whatnot. And they are always like, ‘Man, play as long as you possibly can,'" Paul said, per Spears. "'Play as long as you possibly can.’ And I appreciate that. But I also, I just always want to talk to my kids about it because that’s the most important job that I have. I love to play. I definitely love my kids and my family more than I like to play. Anybody who’s in this knows the sacrifice could goes longer. I said this summer I will evaluate it and talk to my family about it.”

Paul joined the Spurs ahead of the 2024-25 season and has averaged 8.8 points, 7.6 assists and 3.6 rebounds in 76 games. San Antonio is his seventh franchise and he will hit unrestricted free agency following the season.

He could choose to re-sign with San Antonio and play a role in developing young stars Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle. The Spurs are currently 32-44 and are positioned to miss the postseason for the sixth consecutive season.

While Wembanyama's return from injury could catapult the Spurs to playoff contention, Paul's hopes at the elusive NBA title probably won't come to fruition in San Antonio in 2025-26. If he were after a title, he may have to settle for less money and a lesser role with a contending team.