Paul surpasses Kidd for 2nd in career assists

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San Antonio Spurs point guard Chris Paul moved to second on the NBA’s all-time assists list against the New Orleans Pelicans, the franchise where his 20-year career began.
The 39-year-old Paul collected his 12,092nd assist on a 3-pointer from Victor Wembanyama with 7:06 remaining in the first half of Sunday’s game, a 121-116 victory for the Spurs.
Paul surpassed Hall of Famer Jason Kidd on the all-time list. John Stockton is the league’s career leader with 15,806 career assists over 19 seasons, all with the Utah Jazz.

Paul finished the game with 10 assists, giving him 12,099 in 1,296 games with still more to come. He is the only player in NBA history with over 20,000 career points and 12,000 career assists.
After failing to collect an assist in the opening quarter against New Orleans, Paul had three assists in the first five minutes of the second quarter to achieve the milestone.
“Yeah, it is wild,” Paul said of the milestone after Friday’s loss to Sacramento. “I mean, five years ago I had seen that number and it’s like, ‘Man, you going to play long enough to do that?’ Seriously.
“I mean, I remember being a rookie, I said that before, looking up in Utah, seeing John Stockton, all-time steals and assist leader. So, yeah, it is kind of crazy. I mean, I’m grateful for the opportunity to still continue to play.”

Paul played four seasons in New Orleans, back when the franchise was known as the Hornets, after he was selected with the fourth pick in the 2005 NBA Draft. He was traded to the LA Clippers, where he spent six seasons before moving on to Houston, Oklahoma City, Phoenix and Golden State before signing a one-year deal with San Antonio in the offseason.
After primarily coming off the bench with the Warriors last season, Paul is averaging 10.4 points, 8.5 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game this season as a starter for the Spurs.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.