New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul waves as it announced he broke the NBA record for consecutive games with a steal, in the first half of the Hornets' NBA basketball game with the San Antonio Spurs in New Orleans on Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2008. Paul set a mark of 106 regular-season games in a row with a steal. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Alex Brandon
He is the greatest player to ever put on a New Orleans uniform (Hornets or Pelicans) since NBA basketball returned to the Crescent City in 2002.
Some day in the not-so-distant future, the franchise needs to acknowledge just how much Chris Paul meant by hanging his No. 3 in the empty rafters of the Smoothie King Center.
It’s been 20 years since the then-Hornets drafted Paul out of Wake Forest. He immediately became the face of the franchise, winning Rookie of the Year that year, the first step on a two-decade journey that will land him in the Hall of Fame.
Paul, now in his second stint with the Los Angeles Clippers, announced Saturday that this will be his final NBA season.
His announcement gives the folks who call the shots for the Pelicans ample time to do something special for Paul in March. That’s when Paul will makes his final visit as a player to the building that was called the New Orleans Arena when he played here.
It seems fitting that the NBA schedule-makers put the Clippers in New Orleans for back-to-back games on March 18 and 19. A player like Paul deserves two days in the city that he called home for the first six seasons of his NBA career.
Both the city and the organization should make sure the New Orleans stop on what will now be Paul’s farewell tour is the most memorable one.
Give him a key to the city. Make one of the two days Chris Paul Day. Make a tribute video that tops any of the others he may get. Heck, maybe even a second line parade to celebrate the end of a career that includes 12 All-Star appearances, 11 times on an All-NBA team and nine times on an All-Defensive team.
And for the fans who still boo him whenever he comes back to town because of the way he exited back in 2011, let it rest. No need to stay mad at your ex forever.
Besides, he’s always reminded people what this city means to him.
"Thank you New Orleans for six of the BEST years of my life,” he said the day after he was traded to the Clippers 14 years ago. “To the organization, my teammates, coaches, and the fans you will always be my family and have a special place in my heart!!!"
And he said it again back in March when he was in town last season playing for the San Antonio Spurs.
“After 20 years, the love for this city has never changed!" Paul wrote in an Instagram post. "The journey started here, and I'll always have gratitude for the city of New Orleans.”
It seemed like Paul was calling it quits then, but he came back for one more season, signing with the Clippers for his final chapter. He’s also had stops in Houston, Oklahoma City, Phoenix and Golden State. New Orleans, though, is where it all started.
James Borrego, currently serving as the Pelicans interim head coach, was an assistant coach for the then-Hornets during Paul’s final two seasons in New Orleans. So he understands what the Point God meant to the Big Easy.
“Just to watch him and what he meant to the city as a whole,” Borrego said. “As the city was going through some massive change and moving cities and through Katrina, for him to be one of those pillars to help this city goes beyond anything on the basketball court. He reflects resiliency and toughness.”
Borrego recalls the days Paul would come out of the game and sit beside him on the bench. Paul would talk Borrego’s ear off.
“Nobody loves the game of basketball that I’ve been around more than Chris Paul,” Borrego said. “He will be around the game forever. We need him in the game. He's a wonderful person, father, individual. But what he meant to the city cannot be matched. I think of Drew Brees, another pillar of the city, something like that. Chris is a special individual. I am always thankful for that relationship with him.”
And the city of New Orleans should be thankful for that relationship, too.
And for two nights in March, the city of New Orleans should make sure to let CP3 know.