Chris Paul says that his daughter is at the age where kids at her school talk to her about his basketball career. Recently a kid went at the Point God’s daughter for not winning any championships.
“[My daughter] at the age now where at school kids talk crazy to her,” said Paul. “She had a little boy at school that said some reckless stuff to her was like, ‘Your daddy ain’t never gon’ win no championship.'”
Kids Talking Reckless
Paul was a recent guest on “The Pivot Podcast” with Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder, and Fred Taylor. The conversation was wide-ranging and touched on the NBA veteran’s lengthy career and his quest to win a championship.
Paul has two children with his wife Jada Paul, Chris Jr., 14, and daughter Camryn, 10.
Some 10-year-olds can be particularly cruel with one another and have a way of cutting deep with their words. By this age Camryn is well aware of what her dad does for a living and wants him to win.
Last year Paul told People Magazine about his daughter’s interest in the game.
“During the playoffs last year, she called me … and she was trying to teach herself to dribble between her legs,” Paul said. “And she’s so persistent — I was sort of sitting there coaching her, telling her what to do. Three hours later, she sent me a video, and she could do it!”
Whomever the kid was that was arguing with Camryn, it’s unlikely he’s at home thinking about whether Chris Paul will win any rings. It’s likely a conversation he’s heard from an adult or older sibling or cousin talking about the game and Paul.
Despite never being on a winning NBA Finals team, Paul has played in the championship round and two conference finals. It seems like a form of underachievement for a player as historically great as Paul, but context and luck matter more than people care to admit.
He has been injured at the worst possible times, and that’s luck. Despite everyone wanting to find fault and blame him for the injuries. If you know anything about a barely 6’0″ guard who is one of the great players of all-time, you know he’s insanely competitive and wants to win. If he could will himself to not get injured he would.
Many all-time greats don’t have titles. They are judged for it because that’s what we do in basketball discourse. But they shouldn’t be.
The Point God
Paul has the second-most career defensive win-shares for a player 6’1″ or shorter in NBA history. The other? John Stockton.
Paul is ninth all-time in total career win-shares. Ahead of Kevin Garnett, Shaquille O’Neal, Oscar Robertson, David Robinson, Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller, and Kobe Bryant.
He is sixth all-time in career WS/48. Ahead of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, LeBron James, and Magic Johnson.
Paul is a 12-rime All-Star, 11-time All-NBA, nine-time All-Defensive Team, led the NBA in steals six times, and assists five times. He’s a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.
He is one of only two players in NBA history with at least 20,000 points, 10,000 assists, and 2,000 steals. The other is LeBron.
Paul may not have any rings, but having him on your team means you are going to win a lot. He just needed a little more luck.
On Wednesday it was reported by Chris Haynes that the Phoenix Suns intend to waive Paul. He will be an unrestricted free agent, perhaps this is the luck he needs to get another shot at a title.
