Before he showed up and actually played here, it was hard to ever visualize Chris Paul in a Spurs jersey. Many fans had a strong sports-hate for him in large part because he has been such a huge rival over the years. Not only did they have many clashes, including some huge playoff series that went both ways, but it was often a battle between him and Spurs’ GOAT point guard Tony Parker for the title of best PG in the league.
Other factors like Paul’s notorious “crankiness” on the court — be it with his teammates or the refs — also made him a little off-putting, but now that he’s with the Spurs, he’s quickly becoming beloved by the fanbase that used to hate him. The Chris Paul Effect is in full swing, with the Spurs already 8 games ahead of last season and in postseason contention just barely a quarter of the way in, and his leadership and guidance is clearly having a positive impact on Victor Wembanyama and his young teammates.
Before the season started, he and Parker — who have always been very good friends, with Paul calling Parker his mentor and big brother — sat down for an interview, and the Spurs finally released it yesterday. It’s just as great as you probably imagine, so be sure to give it watch when you have 20 minutes, but in case you don’t have time right now, some highlights are listed out below. Enjoy!
Highlights
- Parker finds it “weird” that Paul is a Spur, and he didn’t believe it until he came in for the interview saw him. Even Paul and Gregg Popovich were in slight disbelief that they were joining forces. They compared their situations, where as Parker came in young on a team of older players, Paul came in old to help bring structure for a young team. He immediately fell in love with his current teammates and respected how much they just wanted to hoop.
- Chris Paul usually stayed downtown when his teams came to San Antonio, but during the second round of the 2008 playoffs (which was very intense and saw the Spurs come back from an 0-2 deficit to win the series), both players went to each other’s houses to play Rock Band (which Parker would not admit to Pop). Even at the most intense times of their rivalry, they were friends off the court. Their families also bonded during all their times together, including at All-Star games and playoff series, but both players also knew how to revert back to rivalry mode on the court.
- Parker admitted he retired once he felt he could no longer win championships and asked Paul what keeps him going and motivated to play for a rebuilding team in his twilight years. Paul admitted that last season (coming off the bench for the Warriors) was tough for him. His family lives in Los Angeles, so if he’s going to be away from them, he wants to be playing. The Spurs provided the perfect balance of playing time and a chance to win games that Paul couldn’t pass up.
- One play from the Spurs’ Big 3 days that gives Paul PTSD was the “floppy down”, where a player would pass it to Tim Duncan at the top of the key, and he would pass it down to a cutting Parker for an open layup. They only ran it a every few games and in crunch time, and Paul explains he encourages the coaches to not just teach such plays, but show it in the film room so the players can see it in action.
- Paul says he probably has a “year or two” of left in him. He still loves practice and playing, but he misses his children. Parker explains how he used to not want to coach because he enjoyed being around his family more, but as time has gone by and he’s enjoyed managing his own team in Europe, he’s starting to reconsider possibly coaching someday. Paul agrees that he may take the same approach of starting in the front office and go from there.
- Playing with Wemby has taken some figuring out. One of the biggest changes for Paul has been he’s used to be the handler in pick-and-rolls, but now, he’s often the roller because Wemby can handle the ball so well for his size. Wemby also played for Parker’s team in France, and he told Parker he wanted to play the wing. It was a crazy concept to Parker, but because Wemby’s such a special talent, they adapted to him and won the championship — similar to what the Spurs are trying to do now. Parker says RC Buford was scouting Wemby back when he was 12, and that motivated Parker to recruit him to AZVEL when he as 15.
- Back to the 2008 playoffs, Paul’s first postseason, the Spurs quickly made him realize that a series is more than just one game. After the Hornets got up 2-0 at home, he was surprised at how chill the Spurs were, and sure enough they came back to win the series. It was a big lesson for Paul about not getting too high or low. He and Parker were also on a Sports Illustrated cover from that series, and Parker hates it because it’s Paul scoring on him, and yet he’s always asked to sign it.
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