December 8, 2024— a date Chris Paul will never forget. And even if he does, the Spurs have gifted him a memorabilia to ensure he always remembers the big achievement. Along came a heartfelt speech in the locker room expressing the franchise’s gratitude for being able to share the space with him, followed by a celebration that left the Point God emotional. After all, his two decades of hard work were making headlines. But what led to this milestone? Paul took a moment to reflect on that.

Heading into Sunday night’s game against the Pelicans, CP3 was just 3 assists away from surpassing Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd for the second spot on the NBA’s all-time assist leaders list. The 6-footer reached the milestone before halftime, in the second quarter. Not only did Chris Paul surpass Kidd’s 12091 assists, but he also set a new record, finishing the night as No. 2 with 12099 career assists after recording 10 on the night.

After unlocking the new achievement, the limelight was on Paul as everyone wanted to hear about his journey. The veteran pointed to his childhood habits as the key to getting him to this stage. Reflecting on his perspective of the game, CP3 said, “I sort of look at it like chess with all the moving parts. You know? But I always say my job is the easy part, to find guys. They gotta make the shots, but it’s fun. It’s fun.”

While a majority of players focus more on scoring, the selfless playmaking aspect fascinated Paul more. “Some people, like, love to score, which is cool,” he stated. “I’ve always sort of, probably since I was a kid, just, love sharing the ball, love assisting, and knowing that I have the capability to score, but, love to see other guys score.” And the result is out there for everyone to see. The thrilling night didn’t end there, though. He received a loud cheer from his close friend, Russell Westbrook, for the historic record.

Russell Westbrook congratulates his “brother” Chris Paul

Despite never playing together on an NBA team, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul have developed a strong bond over the years. From offseason training sessions to friendly poker games, their connection goes beyond basketball. So, when Westbrook came across Paul’s new record on Instagram, he didn’t hesitate to shower praise on his friend.

Westbrook shared the Spurs’ post to his IG story, tagging Paul with the caption, “Congratulations to my brother! One of the best to ever do it!!! That’s a lot dimes lol.” The 36-year-old also ranks on the assist leaders list, sitting at 9th with 9608 assists. He needs 280 more to move up, which seems like a tall task considering his current form.

Similarly, Paul also faces a tough challenge in reaching the top spot, with John Stockton still holding the lead at 15806 career assists. So far, the 39-year-old Paul is averaging 8.5 assists per game. Though he doesn’t have too many years left on the hardwood to top the list, he’ll certainly leave behind a high number for the others to chase.