Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook spent the past week in Portofino, Italy, vacationing with their wives and others, according to their social media posts.
The pair posted footage of pickup action on a court stationed on a yacht, with Paul, 41, who ranks second all-time in career assists, throwing a lob to Westbrook, 37, who is fifth in career assists. Westbrook returned the favor with an alley-oop; the Instagram post was captioned “Retirement …” Paul followed with a collage on Instagram three days later that included additional images from the trip.
Beyond the on-court highlights, the posts showed the two mixing on a DJ set and playing tennis. One slide included an image of Paul during his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Westbrook in a Houston Rockets uniform. Carmelo Anthony commented, “My guys!!! Love to see this! It gets better,” while Dwyane Wade wrote, “Yes Sir!” Westbrook added, “What a time my brother.”
Paul’s former Thunder teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reacted to a tennis clip by writing, “I’ll fry you in tennis.” Gilgeous-Alexander and Paul developed a close relationship while teammates in 2019-20; in February Gilgeous-Alexander said Paul was “special for my career.”
Westbrook announced his retirement in August after an 18-year playing career, and Paul retired in February after 21 seasons. The two were part of a 2019 trade that sent them in opposite directions and never suited up together in the NBA, though they were teammates on Team USA’s 2012 Olympic gold-medal squad. Paul ended his career with an unceremonious send-home from the LA Clippers last December; on the “Build or Break” podcast he called the situation “probably one of the most disrespectful things that I’ve endured.” The pair are also widely expected to be part of the same Basketball Hall of Fame class in 2029.
