Chris Paul glanced up as a rookie in a game at Utah and read the words: “John Stockton, all-time steals and assists leader.”
“I’m gonna catch him,” he thought back then, only to realize later, “that was a lie.”
Still, nearly two decades later, Paul remains on the chase after surpassing Jason Kidd on Sunday with career assist No. 12,092 to move into second place behind Stockton in career assists during San Antonio’s 121-116 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Paul reached the milestone with his third assist of the night, directed Victor Wembanyama’s way with 7:06 left in the first half for a 25-foot 3-pointer.
Perhaps the most important assist came with 37 ticks left, when Wembanyama knocked down the go-ahead 3-pointer near the top of the key off a Paul pass, before ending the night with a game-high 25 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Paul finished with 11 points and 13 assists, which increased his career total to 12,099 assists.
Paul also became the second player in league history to log 600 10-assist games, joining Stockton, who tallied 863 such games over his Hall of Fame career.
Paul, 39, accomplished the feat on the night Wembanyama returned to the lineup after a three-game absence because of back soreness.
