During the NBA All-Star Weekend, at a live taping of the Carmelo Anthony-hosted “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast, the NBA Hall of Famer spoke with one of his “Banana Boat” buddies, Chris Paul, about his latest career move after announcing he was retiring from professional basketball.
On Feb. 14, Complex debuted its Complex Market at Ace & Mission Studios in downtown Los Angeles, billed as a curated fusion of vintage sportswear, streetwear, and sneakers for sports fans and sneakerheads. Paul, known to NBA Fans as the “Point God” for his exceptional skills on the basketball court, announced his retirement from the league after
over 20 years. This was the first time he spoke publicly about his retirement.Anthony, who was recently inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame (Where Paul may join him in three years if he doesn’t return to the court), spoke with Paul and his co-host, Kaz, during the event.
The former New York Knicks forward introduced his close friend (the duo, along with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, is affectionately referred to as the “Banana Boat Crew”) as “one of the greatest point guards ever,” before Paul stated why he felt it was time to move on from the game he has played all his life.
The former Los Angeles Clippers point guard said that making the decision “feels a little lighter.”
“I set a personal deadline that if I wasn’t on a team by a certain point, I would be done by All-Star,” Chris told Anthony and Kaz. He also stated that he knew last season he was about to end his career, but later in the season, he felt “too damn good” to retire.
Before the season started, he announced to the world that this was it, before he signed his last deal with the Clippers,
whom he led on the court for six seasons. The franchise stated that he was coming “home” after leaving it at the end of the 2017 NBA season. The future NBA Hall of Famer played with the Clippers from 2011 to the end of the 2016-17 season. Sadly, he did not last the entire season, when on Dec. 3, the team sent the point guard home in the middle of the night during a road trip in Atlanta.At 3 a.m., the veteran posted on his social media account that he was being “sent home” by the Clippers.
Chris
Paul has played for seven teams throughout his NBA career. His first team was the New Orleans Hornets (2005-11). He played for the Los Angeles Clippers (2011-17), Houston Rockets (2017-19), Oklahoma City Thunder (2019-20), Phoenix Suns (2020-23), Golden State Warriors (2023-24), and San Antonio Spurs (2024-25) before making the short-lived return to the Clippers.RELATED CONTENT: Elevate Your Excellence: Exalting The Renaissance Of Harlem’s Favored Rose, Teyana Taylor