December 8, 2024 likely qualifies as one to remember for Chris Paul, upon leaving the San Antonio Spurs’ arena with NBA history’s second most assists — and a thoughtfully-gifted basketball of every player he assisted — alongside a post-victory Gatorade shower. Teary-eyed and appreciative of the latest milestone in his Hall of Fame-bound career, one might argue that it was, perhaps, the only time “The Point God’s” vision was blurred and unfocused over the last two decades. The moment itself arrived with almost-ironic quickness, given Paul’s 20-season body of work, catching Yves Missi and the New Orleans Pelicans’ defense unfocused on a pindown before locating his star center for a sideline-out-of-bounds catch-and-shoot connection. Paul’s heads-up play allowed for everything from assist No. 12,092 of his career to a subsequent standing ovation, to ultimately, a come-from-behind victory, poetically against a franchise that chronicled his career’s first 4,228 dimes. In ultimately becoming the league’s first-ever to reach the 20,000-point, 12,000-assist landmark, Paul’s one-of-a-kind night ended with six points, seven rebounds, 10 assists, two steals, two 3-pointers, and a permanently-embedded spot in the Association’s history books. · Dec 9, 2024