Chris Paul says goodbye to Rockets via social media

Nearly two weeks after he was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul finally broke his silence to share his thoughts about his departure from the Houston Rockets. In an Instagram post Wednesday night, Paul bid farewell to the Rockets while saying hello to the Thunder.

In the post, the nine-time All-Star expressed his gratitude towards the city of Houston after two amazing seasons. And while his tenure with the Rockets did not end in a storybook finish, the CP3 era in Houston had its share of excitement.

In two seasons, Paul helped transform the Rockets into arguably the second-best team in the NBA, and they had their most successful run since the days of Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. With Paul, the Rockets set a franchise record 65 wins in the regular-season and came one game short of reaching the NBA Finals in 2018.

Although a lot of his time in Houston was spent battling injuries (playing in just 116 out of 164 possible games), Paul showcased why he will be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer when on the court, as he averaged 17.1 points, 8.0 assists, 1.8 steals, while shooting 44.1 percent from the field with the Rockets.

Even though he put on several great performances over the past two seasons, Paul’s best game came during the Rockets’ Game 5 win over the Utah Jazz during the 2018 Western Conference Semi-Finals. In the series clincher, Paul led the Rockets to a 112-102 victory, as he recorded a playoff career-high 41 points, 10 assists, and shot 59.1 percent from the field, 80.0 percent from beyond the arc.

After failing to find a trade partner, Paul’s future still looks a bit murky as he begins the twilight of his career as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, despite coming up short on his championship aspirations, no one should ever forget the fun and joy Chris Paul brought to Houston as a member of the Rockets.

Thank you CP3!