Chris Paul, a guard who has been selected as an All-Star twelve times, announced on Saturday that this will be his last season in the NBA.

While visiting his home state of North Carolina for a game against the Hornets with the Los Angeles Clippers, Paul shared a concise message on X, along with a 75-second video showcasing highlights from his career, starting from the moment he was chosen fourth overall in the 2005 NBA Draft.

"Back in NC!!! What a ride…," he wrote. "There’s still so much left. . . GRATEFUL for this last one!!

At 40 years old, Paul is now in his 21st season in the NBA. He stands second in league history for assists, amassing 12,532, and is also second in steals with 2,727, ranking just behind Hall of Famer John Stockton in both statistics. Only 15 players have participated in more games than Paul, who has appeared in 1,364 contests.

Having started his career with New Orleans, Paul earned the Rookie of the Year accolade in 2006. He has been a four-time selection to the All-NBA first team, a five-time leader in assists, a six-time steals leader, and a member of seven all-defensive first teams and was named the MVP of the All-Star Game in 2013. Additionally, he was honoured in 2021 as part of the NBA's 75th anniversary team and secured Olympic gold medals with Team USA in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012.

Paul spent six seasons with New Orleans before being traded to the Clippers in 2011. He later had stints with the Houston Rockets from 2017 to 2019, the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2019-20 season, and the Phoenix Suns from 2020 to 2023 and is currently with the Golden State Warriors for the 2023-24 season.

Last year, he experienced a revival while with the San Antonio Spurs, where he took on a mentoring role for a young team, managing to play all 82 games for the first time since the 2014-15 season, averaging 8.8 points and 7.4 assists over 28 minutes per game.

In July, he returned to the Clippers but has taken on a more limited role, participating in just 10 games and averaging 2.5 points alongside 3.3 assists per game.

Throughout his career, Paul has maintained averages of 16.9 points, 9.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.0 steals.

Luke Littler, the world's top-ranked player, rallied after an unsteady beginning to defeat Ricardo Pietreczko 10-6, securing his place in the quarter-finals of the Players Championship Finals held in Minehead.

Having recently surpassed competitor Luke Humphries in the rankings following his triumph at last week's Grand Slam of Darts, Littler earlier overcame Ross Smith 6-3 in the afternoon session, boasting an impressive match average of 102.

The 18-year-old continued to gain momentum against Pietreczko from Germany, who had narrowly defeated Gary Anderson in a tense final leg. Littler rebounded from a 3-1 deficit, taking command with an 8-5 lead after executing a remarkable 121 finish that featured two hits on the bullseye.

With determination to reach the quarter-finals, Littler maintained a 102 average despite his initial struggle and is focused on capturing another title—one that has eluded him thus far.

“Of course, I'm not pleased when I find myself losing. When it was 3-2 against me, I managed to level it at 5-5, and I knew I had to push forward from there,” Littler noted during his interview on ITV4.

“I realised there wouldn't be any more breaks; we were onstage until the end, and I succeeded in completing the task. My doubles weren't at their best tonight, but I plan to refine that aspect for tomorrow's session.”

“I am indeed pursuing this title—everyone is aware of that. It’s one that I have yet to add to my collection, and I will definitely be going after it tomorrow,” Littler concluded.

Gerwyn Price, the tournament's top seed due to his outstanding performances throughout the 34 Players Championship events this year, also advanced by overcoming Martin Schindler 10-6, setting him up for a match on Sunday, when the tournament will conclude.

In another exciting match, Nathan Aspinall edged past Dutch player Danny Noppert 10-8, with both athletes scoring six 180s.

Off the main stage at Butlin’s, Daryl Gurney—who had previously defeated Stephen Bunting earlier in the day—won against Adam Lipscombe in a final leg, securing his spot in the quarter-finals, where he will face Price.

James Wade continued his success after defeating former world champion Peter Wright by achieving a 10-6 win against Andrew Gilding.

Furthermore, Jermaine Wattimena from the Netherlands triumphed over Ryan Searle with a score of 10-8, marking his first advancement to the tournament's quarter-finals.