Apr 13, 2025, 04:30 PM ET
In 12 months 20, Chris Paul began all 82 video games and made some NBA historical past.
Paul was once within the San Antonio Spurs’ beginning lineup for his or her season finale Sunday, making him the primary participant to make 82 begins this deep right into a profession. The former mark was once held by means of Utah’s John Stockton, who began all 82 video games in his nineteenth and ultimate season.
Paul — who turns 40 in lower than a month — is considered one of 3 avid gamers to have a season with 82 appearances at his age. Stockton did it within the seasons he grew to become 39 and 40, and Michael Jordan grew to become 39 in his ultimate season whilst enjoying in all 82 video games and beginning 67 of them.
“It is loopy,” Paul stated. “I used to be chatting with my spouse about this. If you end up form of in it, you might be now not in point of fact desirous about it. It is like, ‘OK, it is Sport 30. OK, it is Sport 40-something. It is sport such and such.'”
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It turned into Sport 82. And Paul by no means overlooked a beat because the Spurs rallied from a 22-point deficit to overcome the Toronto Raptors 125-118.
He is considered one of six avid gamers who made 82 begins on this NBA steady season, which ended Sunday. The others: New York’s Mikal Bridges, Minnesota’s Jaden McDaniels, Houston’s Jalen Inexperienced, Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen and Paul’s San Antonio teammate Harrison Barnes.
With Paul, Barnes and Julian Champagnie, the Spurs turned into the primary workforce for the reason that 2017-18 Timberwolves with no less than 3 avid gamers to look in 82 video games.
For Barnes, who’s in his first season with the Spurs, Sunday’s sport was once his 304th in a row. He and Paul are the primary Spurs to play all 82 video games since Bryn Forbes and Patty Generators in 2018-19 — and the primary Spurs to begin all 82 video games since Bruce Bowen in 2006-07.
“12 months 20, that is best the second one time in my profession enjoying 82 video games,” Paul stated. “And likewise enjoying so long as I’ve, I believe I know the way onerous it’s. That is why I’ve such a lot admire for Harrison, who’s doing this for the 3rd 12 months in a row. And Mikal, who was once my teammate, he by no means misses a sport.”
Additionally enjoying in Sport 82s on Sunday: Golden State’s Friend Hield, Detroit’s Malik Beasley, Washington’s Bub Carrington and Minnesota’s Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
Bridges was once enjoying in his 556th consecutive regular-season sport Sunday — out of a conceivable 556. He hasn’t overlooked any sport since his junior 12 months of highschool, together with 116 at Villanova and 39 NBA playoff video games. Upload that up, and he is performed in 711 consecutive video games since coming into school.
The Knicks held out 4 starters for a meaningless sport standings-wise Sunday. Bridges was once the exception.
“I believe he is earned that proper,” Knicks trainer Tom Thibodeau stated. “It is a tribute to him. I believe he is labored onerous to place himself in that place. I have stated this ahead of: He will have to be counseled for it.”
Bridges performed the primary six seconds to increase the streak Sunday, took a nasty, were given subbed out by means of Landry Shamet and went to the bench. (He did anything equivalent within the ultimate sport of the 2023-24 season, enjoying 4 seconds for Brooklyn towards Philadelphia at the final day.)
“I imply, they simply requested to look what I need to do,” Bridges stated. “It is in point of fact for the younger guys as a result of I may just play 1 / 4 or play a part, however that is disposing of from younger guys like (Pacome Dadiet and Kevin McCullar Jr.), guys that performed smartly as of late, too, however only for their mins.”
The Spurs’ Chris Paul on Sunday turned into the primary participant in NBA historical past to begin 82 video games in his twentieth season. Michael Gonzales/NBAE by way of Getty Photographs
It came about somewhere else as smartly: Allen performed 41 seconds for Cleveland on Sunday to get to 82 begins, then was once subbed out.
Sacramento’s Jonas Valanciunas seemed in 81 video games this season, now not 82, with a large caveat — he was once inactive for 2 groups at the similar day, which is the one reason why he did not get to 82 this season. Valanciunas was once traded by means of Washington to the Kings on Feb. 5; he seemed that night time as inactive for either one of the ones groups at the reliable NBA field ratings for the reason that industry was once pending.
He performed Feb. 6 for the Kings and hasn’t overlooked a sport since.
Paul was once the eleventh participant in NBA historical past to make it to twenty seasons within the league. LeBron James, if he performs subsequent season as anticipated, will then turn into the primary to make it to 23 seasons within the league, breaking a tie with Vince Carter, who performed in 22 seasons.
Bridges, the NBA’s reigning iron guy, does not see himself pulling off what his former teammate in Phoenix did this season.
“That is why CP is without doubt one of the largest,” he stated. “However I don’t believe I will make it that lengthy, then again a few years he is performed.”
Robert Parish, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Willis all performed 21 NBA seasons, which Paul gets to subsequent season if he — once more, as anticipated — returns. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Jamal Crawford and Udonis Haslem all performed 20 seasons, a membership that Kyle Lowry will sign up for subsequent season.
“I do know there is stuff nonetheless within the tank,” Paul stated. “You realize, I believe for me, the summer time will simply be a in point of fact excellent time to only assessment the whole lot, the alternatives. However the love for the sport continues to be there.”
