Chris Paul has a new place in the NBA record book.
With a pass to Harrison Barnes Sunday night, the San Antonio Spurs point guard tied Jason Kidd for second-place all-time on the NBA’s assist list. With a subsequent pass to Victor Wembanyma, he passed Kidd with his 12,092nd career assist.
Paul reached the mark in the second quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans. With 7:06 left in the quarter, Paul looked to Wembanyama on the left wing. Wembanyama pulled up from beyond the 3-point arc and sunk the shot to cut the New Orleans lead to 49-45.
In a season where Paul was acquired in part to help develop the NBA’s most promising young star, it was fitting that Paul reached the mark on a pass to Wembanyama.
Paul, who’s led the NBA in assists in five different seasons, now trails only Hall of Famer John Stockton on the all-time assists list. He’s got a long way to go to catch the Utah Jazz great. Stockton retired as basketball’s assist king with 15,086, a record that a 39-year-old Paul does not project to challenge.
LeBron James (11,219 as of Sunday), Steve Nash (10,335), Mark Jackson (10,334), Magic Johnson (10,141), Oscar Robertson (9,887), Russell Westbrook (9,597 as of Sunday) and Isiah Thomas (9,061) round out the top 10 all-time NBA assist leaders.
Up next, Paul is eyeing Kidd’s spot on another all-time list. Paul trails Kidd for second place on the all-time steals list. Paul entered Sunday’s game with 2,646 steals, 38 behind Kidd’s career tally of 2,684. A six-time steals champion, Paul is averaging 1.4 swipes per game this season and projects to pass Kidd this season if he remains healthy.
Like on the assists list, Stockton holds a steals record that won’t soon be challenged. Stockton retired with 3,265 steals, 581 ahead of Kidd’s second-place mark.
Paul continues to produce in his 20th NBA season. In 23 games before Sunday’s, Paul was averaging 10.4 points, 8.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 43.3% from the field and 35.3% from 3-point distance.