Chris Paul, who made 12 All-Star appearances and was given the nickname of “The Point God,” announced his retirement on Friday as the NBA gears up for All-Star weekend in Los Angeles.

Paul made the announcement on social media, saying, “This is it! After 21 years I'm stepping away from basketball. It's time for me to show up for others and in other ways.”

Paul began this season with a return to the Los Angeles Clippers, where he starred alongside Blake Griffin for the “Lob City” teams from 2011-17.

His second stint in Los Angeles, however, ended abruptly when the team sent him home in December. Earlier this month, the Clippers traded Paul’s contract to the Toronto Raptors, with many assuming his deal would be bought out, allowing him to sign with a title contender for one last bid at a championship ring.

Instead, his career will likely be honoured on the league-wide stage of All-Star weekend, as the Clippers host the event for the first time at the Intuit Dome.

Paul will undoubtedly be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame once eligible as one of the NBA’s signature players of the 2000s, 2010s and into the early 2020s.

The New Orleans Hornets selected Paul with the fourth overall pick of the 2005 NBA Draft, and he went on to win Rookie of the Year.

After six seasons in New Orleans, the NBA vetoed a trade that would have sent Paul to the Lakers to team up with Kobe Bryant. Instead, he wound up on the Clippers, who were among the most entertaining teams in the league but consistently came up short in the playoffs.

His next stop was with the Houston Rockets alongside James Harden. That team made the 2018 Western Conference finals and took the Golden State Warriors to Game 7 before bowing out.

Paul’s only NBA Finals appearance came with the Phoenix Suns in 2021, a six-game loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Paul will always carry the backhanded compliment of being one of the best players to never win a title, but his influence over the league has been undeniable.

A five-time assists leader and six-time steals leader, Paul was voted to an All-NBA team 11 times.

Over 1370 career games, Paul averaged 16.8 points and 9.2 assists with a 4.04 assist-to-turnover ratio.