San Antonio Spurs Point Guard Chris Pau reached 12,000 career assists Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers. Paul entered the game three assists shy of becoming only the third player in NBA history to reach the benchmark. Paul is the league’s prototypical point guard, being able to make players around him better by facilitating and distributing the ball and getting his teammates involved. Paul is currently the third-oldest player in the league and the last one standing from the 2005 NBA Draft where he was selected fourth overall out of Wake Forest.
Chris Paul’s Hall of Fame Career
He was drafted fourth overall by the then New Orleans Hornets and quickly became one of the league’s best point guards. Teaming up and developing a great pick-and-roll game with David West, the duo made the Hornets relevant for the first time since Larry Johnson in the 90s. He would play for the team that drafted him for six seasons. Paul then went to “Lob City” when he joined Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan on the Los Angeles Clippers.
The addition of the point guard made the Clippers one of the most exciting and fun teams to watch. Most Clipper teams in history were a joke but Paul and company made the team relevant for once. The Clippers were playoff and Western Conference contenders during CP3’s tenure.
Paul’s Next Stops
He would then leave the “City of Angels” for Houston to play for the Rockets with James Harden. Paul would be a Rocket for two seasons until he was traded to the Thunder. At the time, OKC was still moving past the days of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Harden. Paul was looked at as an afterthought and a possible mentor to the team in the trade involving Westbrook going to the Rockets.
CP3 only played one year with the Thunder before getting traded to the Suns to team up with Durant and Devin Booker. He played in Phoenix for three seasons before leaving for the Golden State Warriors for a season. He is now a member of the San Antonio Spurs and is teamed up with the league’s next superstar Victor Wembanyama.
Final Thoughts
Chris Paul also known as CP3 became the third player in NBA history to reach 12,000 assists joining Hall of Famers John Stockton and Jason Kidd. Paul is the definition of a point guard, running an offense and facilitating the ball to get his teammates involved. He is the quarterback on the court for all the teams he has played for.
If a child is out there looking to be a great point guard, watch Chris Paul. He has never won a championship but he is a guy that can dominate a game without scoring and that is a rare trait in the NBA. Congrats to CP3 for one heck of a career and a sure-fi first ballot hall of famer.
