Chris Paul will turn 40 next month but still feels like he has something left in the chamber.
The San Antonio Spurs veteran point guard spoke this week with Marc J. Spears of Andscape. In the interview, Paul said that he currently plans to continue his playing career.
“I’ll be 40 in May. So, yeah man, I’m going to keep playing, I think,” Paul was quoted as saying. “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.
“Obviously, I got a lot of homies, friends that have retired or whatnot,” added Paul. “And they are always like, ‘Man, play as long as you possibly can. 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 … I said this summer I will evaluate it and talk to my family about it.”
Paul, who has two kids (Chris II, 15, and Camryn, 12) with his wife Jada, also said in the interview with Spears that “my love for the game is even higher now.” You can read the full interview here.
The 12-time All-Star Paul is still competent on the court, averaging 8.8 points and 7.6 assists in a modest 28.0 minutes per game for the Spurs this season. That includes 38.3 percent from deep (one of the better marks of Paul’s career) and 94.0 percent from the free throw line (the single-best mark of Paul’s entire career).
Of course, Paul’s contract with San Antonio expires after the season, creating some uncertainty about where he might be able to continue his career. Though teammate Stephon Castle, 20, can play the 2-guard spot, the Spurs’ backcourt is already pretty crowded for the next several years with former All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox, 27, now on the roster.
Several months ago, the 20-year NBA veteran revealed he was open to an interesting job possibility after his eventual retirement. But for now, it sounds like he still wants to continue as a player, whether that comes with the Spurs or another NBA team.
