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Michael C. Wright, ESPN writer
SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul became the third player in NBA history to reach 12,000 career assists.
With his third assist just 3:34 into the Spurs’ 120-115 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, Paul joined a list previously occupied only by John Stockton (15,806) and Jason Kidd (12,091).
“I remember the first time I played at Utah, I looked up and saw John Stockton was the all-time assists and steals leader, and I thought, ‘I’m going to catch that,'” Paul said. “That was a lie. But being second to John Stockton is really cool.”
Paul dished out his first two assists in the first 2:14 of Friday’s game, finding Julian Champagnie for a layup and Victor Wembanyama for a 29-footer from the wing as San Antonio built an 11-0 lead.
Paul entered the NBA record book in emphatic fashion with 8:26 left in the first quarter by launching a lob to a cutting Wembanyama for a two-handed jam on an alley-oop as the Spurs took a 13-4 lead in his NBA Cup. opener.
Paul finished with 11 points, 11 assists and 2 steals, but San Antonio remained winless (0-5) since last season in NBA Cup games.
“Wow, that’s such a big number,” Wembanyama said of Paul’s 12,000 assist milestone. “It’s hard to imagine how much needs to be averaged over how many years [to get there]. In the end, all players want to see our names there one day. “It’s just amazing.”
Spurs had hoped Paul would make an immediate impact on a young and inexperienced team after signing him in July to play alongside 20-year-old phenom Wembanyama. Paul hasn’t disappointed on that front, having posted six 10-assist games this season.
“The first thing I say in any of these situations you find yourself in is you’ve got to show the guys you can play,” Paul said of joining a young team. “I don’t go in there trying to be anyone’s coach. They want to see what you do now, right? That’s why I’ve trained and worked the way I work, because you can tell them whatever you want. But they want to see it.”
“I remember the first time I played at Utah, I looked up and saw that John Stockton was the all-time leader in assists and steals, and I thought, ‘I’m going to catch that.’ That was a lie. But being second to John “Stockton is really cool.”
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Paul has five double-doubles with 10 assists this season; has 518 for his career, second in league annals behind Stockton.
Although Paul’s arrival has slowed down San Antonio’s pace, the Spurs have managed to maintain their effectiveness in assist percentage with the veteran point guard at the helm. San Antonio ranked 22nd in pace entering Friday after finishing last season ranked No. 3 in the NBA. The Spurs ranked second in assist percentage (68.7%) as of Friday.
As the final seconds ticked off the clock to end the first quarter, the Frost Bank Center scoreboard displayed a graphic showing Paul standing with his arms crossed in celebration of his latest milestone.
“It’s a crazy accomplishment,” Spurs rookie guard Stephon Castle said. “I am beyond happy for CP and look forward to him doing more this season.”
