At this point in his career, there's no disputing the fact that San Antonio Spurs star Chris Paul is one of the greatest point guards to ever pick up a basketball.
Paul, a 12-time All-Star, backed up this claim further on Thursday night after reaching another historic career milestone. The 39-year-old was in the starting lineup for San Antonio's matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, which marked his 1,336th career game.
The NBA sent a congratulatory message to Paul after moving into the 17th spot for most games played all-time.
Congrats to @CP3 of the @spurs for moving into 17th on the all-time GAMES PLAYED list! pic.twitter.com/UtLPf2sfBH
— NBA (@NBA) March 13, 2025
Paul surpassed Hall of Fame guard Gary Payton to climb to 17th. Two more Hall of Famers, Paul Pierce (1,343) and the late, great Kobe Bryant (1,346), are within striking distance of the Spurs veteran. They are currently 16th and 15th on the all-time games played list, respectively.
With more than enough games remaining for Paul this year, he should be able to climb to the 15th spot before the regular season comes to an end -- barring any unforeseen setbacks, of course.
Unfortunately for Paul, his first season in San Antonio hasn't gone according to plan. The Spurs lost Victor Wembanyama for the rest of the year due to a blood clot in his right shoulder, which pretty much put an end to whatever playoff hopes they had.
In 63 games played this year (not including Wednesday's matchup against the Mavs), Paul has averaged 8.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 7.9 assists and 1.3 steals, while knocking down 1.7 triples in 28.5 minutes per game.
The 11-time All-NBA guard will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason once his one-year deal with the Spurs concludes.
Related: Spurs Reveal Concerning Victor Wembanyama News After All-Star Game Debut
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This story was originally published March 12, 2025 at 7:38 PM.