At 39, Spurs' Chris Paul is 'constantly learning' and may make more NBA history soon

Only six days remain in the 20th NBA season of Chris Pauls career, and it is not concluding quite the way the 39-year-old Point God had hoped.

When he signed a one-year, $10 million free-agent contract last summer, Paul relished a chance to compete for one of the greatest coaches in basketball history and alongside one of the most amazing young players to come into the NBA in the 21st century.

Advertisement Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich, the winningest coach in NBA history, was about to begin his 29th season on the San Antonio Spurs bench.

He had all but promised Paul he would be a starter and play as much as his physical health allowed.

Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-3 center and the leagues best interior defender , seemed capable of making the Spurs a playoff contender.

Then life happened.

Nine days into the season, Popovich suffered a mild stroke that would keep him off the bench for its remainder.

A few days after Wembanyama played in his very first All-Star Game, he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right shoulder.

The Spurs then announced he was done for the season.

Suddenly, major reasons Paul had opted to make San Antonio the seventh stop on his NBA journey were gone.

After a loss Sunday to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Spurs (32-46) officially were eliminated from Western Conference Play-In Tournament contention.

And yet, as Paul approaches the final few days of his season in San Antonio, he remains decidedly sanguine.

What does he believe he has gotten from a season that became such a grind after Wembanyamas injury all but ended his hopes for postseason play? A lot, a lot, Paul said recently.

Im constantly learning.

Everyones always wondering what knowledge Im giving, but Im always very observant and paying attention to different trends and changes in the league; to different players; different movements.

Just so much gratitude for the guys, the training staff, for the fans, Pop, seriously, Manu (Ginobili), TD (Tim Duncan), different guys.

Despite the disappointment of missing the Play-In, the season was significant for Paul.

On Dec.

8, he moved past Jason Kidd into second place on the NBAs all-time assists list.

After getting nine more in Sundays game in Portland, he has 12,485.

The Utah Jazzs John Stockton remains the all-time leader, with a total of 15,806 that stands as one of the leagues most unassailable records.

Advertisement Paul also moved into second on the all-time steals list, again leapfrogging Kidd.

A single steal in Portland was the 2,712th of his career.

Stockton leads that list, too, with 3,265.

You never know where your career, your journey, is going to take you, said Paul, who is averaging 8.8 points and 7.6 assists per game this season.

I would never have imagined I would be here in San Antonio and have my career end with never coming here.

I would have still loved Pop and sort of known of Vic; sort of known of Harrison (Barnes) and all these guys, but its been unbelievable to make a connection with those guys that will last a lifetime.

If that sounds like someone who might be considering retirement, some who know what truly drives Paul believe otherwise.

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr has little doubt Paul will be back on an NBA roster next season.

Oh, hes playing next year, Kerr said a couple of hours before the Warriors thumped the Spurs, 148-106, at Frost Bank Center on March 30.

I havent asked him.

But judging from what I know of Chris, hes playing next year.

What Kerr knows of Paul was informed by his 2023-24 season with the Warriors.

I loved coaching him last year, Kerr said.

Just his IQ, his competitive desire, his commitment to the game itself, to the team, to his craft.

It was a joy coaching him and watching him work every day.

More than anything, he loves to play basketball, and I think that was the thing last year that I found: He wanted to play all 48 (minutes), and I couldnt quite do that, but I admired that about him, and he had a great run for us last year.

In a March 8 conversation with Andscapes Marc J.

Spears, Paul acknowledged a strong urge to continue playing next season, though he will turn 40 next month.

He added one major caveat.

Advertisement The more years that go by, Paul said, its more conversations with my family, with my kids.

Theyve got a lot of say-so.

They got a lot of input.

If the family consensus weighs against continuation of his playing days, would he continue in basketball as a coach? Kerr, who guided the Warriors to four titles in his first nine seasons at Golden State and has them well positioned for another deep run this season, understands those who just cant stay away from the game.

Yeah, (Chris) would be a great coach, and Id be shocked if he didnt go into it because of how much he loves the game, Kerr said.

We cant stay away from it, those of us who are obsessed with the game like this, we just cant stay away.

Paul is one of three Spurs to have played every game this season, along with Barnes and forward Julian Champagnie.

If he plays the Spurs final four games, beginning with Tuesdays game against the LA Clippers at Intuit Dome, he will become the oldest player ever to play in every game of a regular season.

He prepares himself to play every single night, said Kerr, whose Warriors host the Spurs on Wednesday.

I hope he plays these last (games) they have left.

Barnes hopes Kerr is right in predicting Paul will return for at least one more NBA season as a player.

If so, he wants him to continue wearing Spurs silver and black.

That Barnes contract runs through the 2025-26 season informs the campaign he began the very day he and Paul met with reporters at the Spurs Victory Capital Performance Center after both players were acquired last July.

Ive been lobbying him since day one, just lobbying for him to play, said Barnes, 32, the Spurs most accurate 3-point shooter (42.4 percent) this season.

I hope this isnt the final season.

Obviously, you have his family, and theres a lot of things to weigh and consider, but I would love nothing more than for CP to come back and continue.

Advertisement Barnes nearly provided another reason for Paul to ponder a return to the Spurs when he nearly made a buzzer-beater Friday against Cleveland that would have beaten the Eastern Conference-leading Cavaliers.

When his floater from 5 feet out rolled off the rim, Cleveland escaped with a 114-113 win, but Pauls bond to his new team was evident afterward.

Then, Paul praised the play of numerous teammates Barnes scored 23 points, Stephon Castle 24 and Devin Vassell 22 and mused about how things might have been altogether different this season had Wembanyama and DeAaron Fox, the Spurs top two scorers, not been lost to season-ending injuries before the stretch run began in earnest.

Its a totally different game when you get Fox, when you get Vic, Paul said.

And theres a different type of purpose that you play for when you are a playoff team and youre trying to fight and get ready for that.

So, thats probably what I looked and hoped for most going into this season: to have our guys get a chance to play really meaningful games, and I know its coming in the future for these guys.

Since Paul opened the Spurs future as a point of reference, it seemed fair to revisit his conversation with Spears and see if a decision about his own future had come into sharper focus since that interview in early March.

Its been a while ago since I did that, Paul said.

The biggest thing is Ill evaluate after the season once Ive talked to my family.

The Spurs and their fans will await that important family conference with bated breath.

(Photo of Chris Paul: Michael Reaves / Getty Images).

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