Chris Paul believes he could step away from the NBA earlier than expected in order to spend more time with his children.

"I love to play basketball more than anybody," Paul said. "I'm serious, nobody loves to play basketball more than I do. But I could honestly see myself maybe stopping a little earlier, maybe premature, just because I hate to miss anything with my kids.

"I would hate for my kids to recall those special moments in their life, and I wasn't there."

Paul signed a maximum contract with the Los Angeles Clippers in the offseason.