Paul moves to second on NBA's career assists list

SAN ANTONIO — 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, on Sunday.

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.

Paul had 10 assists, giving him 12,099 for his career and moving him past former Phoenix and Dallas star Jason Kidd (12,091).

John Stockton is the league's career leader with 15,806 career assists over 19 seasons, all with the Utah Jazz.

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 after Friday's loss to Sacramento. "I mean, five years ago I had seen that number and it's like, 'Man, you're 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 2005 NBA Draft. He was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, where he spent six seasons before moving on to Houston, Oklahoma City, Phoenix and Golden State before signing 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 this season as a starter for the Spurs.

Wembanyama came back from an injury scare to score 25 points and the Spurs held on to beat the Pelicans 121-116.

Paul assisted on Wembanyama's 3-pointer with 37 seconds remaining to snap a five-minute scoring drought and put the Spurs up 117-116. Prior to Wembanyama's 3, the Pelicans had a 13-0 run to take a 116-114 lead with a minute remaining in the game.

Agencies via Xinhua