On Friday, one of the greatest point guards in the history of the NBA announced he was hanging up the shoes for good. Chris Paul announced he would be retiring from his 21-year NBA career.

Paul experienced a rocky final season, encountering difficulties with the Los Angeles Clippers, before being traded to and subsequently waived by the Toronto Raptors. Despite that, there is no doubt about the legendary nature of Paul's career, highlighted by 12 All-Star appearances, 11 All-NBA selections, and a career total of 12,552 assists that places him second all-time.

Steph Curry and Chris Paul were never outright rivals, but had many battles in the regular season and playoffs across a few different eras, then teamed up in Golden State for one year.

From one great point guard to another, Curry sent out a message to Paul, congratulating him on his retirement.

"CP, just want to say congratulations, man. An unbelievable career. 21 amazing years, a lot of battles against you, but a great year playing with you. Enjoy retirement, I know I'm going to see you out on that golf course and everywhere. Congratulations. Beyond well-deserved."

Curry and Paul faced off on the court 41 different times in the regular season. In those games, Curry averaged 21 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds, while Paul posted 19 points, 8 assists, and 4 rebounds — relatively even numbers, considering their play styles and their differing primes.

Curry's record ended up being better, though, as he finished 24-17 against Paul.

It's really in the playoffs where Curry shone, as although the overall record in games ended up being 9-9, Curry took home the series win in both 2018 and 2019 when Paul was with the Rockets. 

Though Paul was a bit out of his prime at this point, Curry very clearly got the upper hand in these 18 playoff games, averaging 24, 6, and 5 compared to Paul's 18, 7, and 6.

Lastly, in 2023-24, the two of them teamed up for the first time when Paul was traded to the Warriors. In just under 600 minutes together in that season, the pair had a +4.3 net rating and went 30-21 in the 51 games they both played.

Though the season ended in disappointment in the playoffs, it was a generally successful team-up between the two, especially considering it was Paul's age-38 season and Curry's age-35 season.

The two will always be linked in a few different ways, whether as rivals or teammates, but it's ultimately clear that Paul will always be respected as a legend by Curry, the Warriors, and the NBA as a whole.