The Point God has had an incredible career, and there's not a soul alive who can prove otherwise. I mean, sure, there are fans across the NBA who dislike Chris Paul for his, let's call them 'antics.' But there's no denying his contribution to the NBA, and reaching this latest milestone only reinforces that.
Paul (12,099) passed Jason Kidd (12,091) for number two all-time on the NBA assists leaderboard—a massive achievement.
You may be reading this and thinking, "Yeah, sure, but there's nothing about this story that would make me want to tear up." But you would be wrong. You see, the person is what makes a story. The narrative is secondary. Despite his reputation as a hard-nosed player, Paul is also known as a humble leader and gracious teammate. Those traits shined when the Spurs congratulated him tonight.
Congrats @CP3 on an incredible achievement đź‘Ź pic.twitter.com/8On7ZcvGUp
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) December 9, 2024
You can't watch that video and say that you didn't feel a pull at the heartstrings. Paul has been in this league for 19 years, playing with his heart on his leave. All he wanted was to win; you could tell every time you played against him because he made you work for it every game.
As he got older, you still could never sleep on a Chris Paul-led team, even if he wasn't in the lineup, because his fingerprints were on the team's identity. They were going to take every game seriously, fight, and make you earn your win. Beating themselves was not a familiar notion to CP3's ball clubs.
These are some of the lessons San Antonio hopes he instills in the young guys on the team now. They all seem anxious to prosper, so now is the time to learn. It's been a long time since DeMar DeRozan wore silver and black. This core of Spurs players has never had a veteran with the experience of Chris Paul—a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
As a matter of fact, most young players don't get the benefit of a Hall of Famer's knowledge. This is a special opportunity everyone must take advantage of. Not every player on the roster will be with the Spurs long-term, but they can all soak up the teachings of a player with one of the coolest and most appropriate nicknames in NBA history: the Point God.
The active player closest to Paul on the assists list is LeBron James, with 11,091, so it's unlikely he'll be catching up. Russell Westbrook and James Harden are in the top 25, but they won't be catching CP. Expect his spot at number two to stand for a very long time.