Chris Paul Thumps LeBron James With Rare Feat in 2024-25 Season
“It’s Crazy. When you’re sort of in it, you don’t really think about it.” Chris Paul said about his time with the San Antonio Spurs. No, he is not talking about his form with the Spurs or playing in his 20th season in the NBA. It’s more about his consistency. Chris Paul made history playing in 82 games for the Spurs at the age of 39. Impressively, he started in all those 82 games. A feat that even the most consistent player in the league, LeBron James, couldn’t achieve.
Paul was in the San Antonio Spurs starting lineup for their season finale on Sunday against the Toronto Raptors. This was his 82nd start in the season, enabling him to surpass Utah Jazz’s legendary guard John Stockton, who started all 82 games in his 19th and final season.
Talking about LeBron, the King last played all 82 games in the 2017-18 season with the Cavs. Ironically, in his 22-year career, LBJ has only completed 82 games once – in 2017-18.
The Spurs made the moment memorable with a special gift for Paul, Harrison Barnes and Julian Champagnie, who also played in all 82 games for the side.
“Year 20, this is only the second time in my career playing 82 games,” the 12-time All-Star said.
“And also playing as long as I have, I think I know how hard it is. That’s why I have so much respect for Harrison, who is doing this for the third year in a row. And Mikal, who was my teammate, he never misses a game.”
Even though the star guard is playing in his 20th season, he is still playing at a high level, and his efficiency hasn’t taken a hit. Team leader Paul ranks seventh in the league for assists with a 7.4 assists per-game average. CP3 is also the first player in NBA history to have 700+ points and 600+ assists in their 20th season. This is a testament to Paul’s consistency.
Also Read: Trae Young Snubs Draymond Green for DPOY: ‘He’s Not Dyson’.
More records on the horizon for Chris Paul?
Paul is now the 11th player in NBA history to complete 20 seasons in the league. The list gets narrowed down to six players who played for 21 seasons. He will be eyeing entry in that elusive list. Leading the charts is, of course, LeBron James, who will become the first to make it to 23 seasons if he plays the 2025-26 season.
For CP3, there are more records to be broken. While Stockton leads the league in assists and steals, Chris needs over 3000 assists and 500-odd steals to catch the Utah maestro. Can Chris Paul catch him? Well, he has intentions to continue playing.
“I know there’s stuff still in the tank,” Paul said.
“You know, I think for me, the summer will just be a really good time to just evaluate everything, the opportunities. But the love for the game is still there.”
If the North Carolina star continues to play at this intensity and level, he will surely top both those charts.
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