Chris Paul still loves playing NBA basketball. If one thing was evident from CP3’s reaction to passing Jason Kidd to become second all-time in career assists, it was how much this all meant to him. In the 20th season of his Hall of Fame NBA career, playing for a young team hoping to make the play-in, the passion remains.
For how long? What does Paul think about retirement? Hall of Famer Tony Parker asked him in an interview set up by the Spurs (hat tip Real GM).
“Maybe a year or two. I’m still trying to feel it out. I think the hardest part is, like I love this, like practice today, I love hooping, I love all of that. The hardest part is when I get home and I have to watch my kids’ games on the iPad or whatnot, so that’s the tug of war right now.”
As the trade deadline nears, Paul’s name will come up in rumors, contenders looking for depth at the point, and someone who can organize the team will see Paul’s reasonable $10.5 million contract and consider it an option. However, CP3 doesn’t want to go somewhere and be a reserve.
“Last year (with the Golden State Warriors) was probably one of the toughest years for me. I just love to hoop. I wanna play. If I’m gonna sacrifice my family and be away from them, then I at least need to be playing.”
Paul’s full interview with Parker is worth checking out. As for when CP3 will check out from the NBA, it’s not that far off, but he is not ready yet.