Now in his 20th NBA season, there’s a reason Chris Paul has been referred to as the “Point God” since early in his career. Turning 40 years old on May 6, Paul has been one of the game’s best orchestrators on the offensive end in league history. He also was an excellent defender in his younger years (and still isn’t a slouch at that end).
Currently in his first season as a member of the San Antonio Spurs, the six-foot Paul has overtaken another point guard legend on the all-time assists list. There is now just one name that Paul is looking up at on that list.
Chris Paul Has Just One Name Above Him On All-Time Assists List
Chris Paul Moves Into Second Place On All-Time Assists List
On Sunday, the Spurs defeated the New Orleans Pelicans (one of Paul’s former franchises) by the score of 121-116. Entering the game, Paul was just three assists away from surpassing current Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd’s career assist total. Just short of the midway point of the second quarter, Paul passed Kidd on an assist coming on a Victor Wembanyama three-pointer. Paul has now totaled 12,099 assists during his future Basketball Hall of Fame career.
Paul has been dishing out dimes in the NBA since being selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Hornets. In addition to New Orleans and now San Antonio, Paul has donned the jerseys of the Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, and Golden State Warriors during his magnificent career.
All-in-all, Paul has led the league in assists five times in his career. Those are five of seven seasons in which he has averaged double-digit assist totals. Even as he approaches the age of 40, Paul is averaging 8.5 assists per contest this season in 24 games. That is good for tied for fifth-most in the league.
Long Way To Go To Move Into First
Again, Paul is just behind one name on the all-time career assists leaderboard. That is of course longtime former Utah Jazz point guard John Stockton. Stockton accumulated 15,896 assists during his remarkable career, meaning he still has well more than 3,000 more than Paul.
In order to get the 3,798 assists it would take to pass Stockton, Paul would need to play 447 more games and average the 8.5 assists per outing he is this season to do so. That isn’t going to happen, but Stockton’s record is seen by most as unbreakable. Chris Paul’s amount of assists he has racked up in his career showcases what a passing wizard he has been as well though.
Paul Also Could Move Into Second For Career Steals
Paul had two steals in Sunday’s contest. This season, he also has the opportunity to move into second place on that all-time career list as well. Who would he need to pass to move into second? Also Jason Kidd. Who is first on that career list? Also John Stockton.
In his 1,296 career regular season games, Paul has totaled 2,648 steals. As long as he remains healthy and in the lineup, he should pass Kidd’s total of 2,684 later this season. Just like assists, Stockton sits far atop the list in what is also seen by most as an unbreakable record. Stockton recorded 3,265 steals in his 19-year career.
