Lakers' JJ Redick, Pelicans' Willie Green impressed by the future Hall of Famer continuing to play long after they retired.
DETROIT – Chris Paul made NBA iron man history Sunday in Toronto a week after one of the 39-year-old point guard's former teammates marveled at his longevity. 'Maybe I should have kept going,' JJ Redick said before coaching the Lakers to a win over Paul and the Spurs in Los Angeles .
'I just told him you're a psycho for still playing,' Redick added with a smile. In the Spurs' 123-89 win over the Raptors, Paul became the first player in his 20th season or later to play in his team's first 70 games of the season, and he started all of them. Dirk Nowitzki nearly did it in 2017-18, playing in 69 of the first 70 with Dallas. Paul was set to keep his impressive streak going Tuesday night when the Spurs faced the Pistons. Redick and Paul played together for four seasons as members of the Los Angeles Clippers from 2013-17. Redick isn't the only former Paul teammate turned coach impressed by the future Hall of Famer's durability as an elder statesman. New Orleans' Willie Green was with Paul and Redick as a player with the Clippers from 2012-14 and also coached Paul as an assistant when they were together in Phoenix during the 2020-21 season. 'Jealous,' Green, whose 12-year playing career ended after the 2014-15 season, said when asked about Paul continuing to play. 'It is pretty impressive what he's able to do, how he impacts every organization he goes to,' Green, 43, said. 'He's a leader. He's a friend of mine, like a brother, and I'm extremely proud to have played with him, learned from him and now just seeing what he's able to continue to do.' Green said he isn't surprised Paul is one of three Spurs players to have appeared in every game this season. The others are Harrison Barnes, 32, and Julian Champagnie, 23. 'From the outside looking in, it could be surprising,' Green said. 'But if you know him, no. He's a competitor. He wants to play every single opportunity and he takes pride in being available and being on the floor.' Paul, who signed a one-year, $11 million deal with the Spurs last summer, hasn't revealed whether he will continue to play after this season. He entered Tuesday's game averaging 28.1 minutes, 8.8 points, a team-high 7.7 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 37.0% from 3-point range on 3.7 attempts. 'He's been phenomenal . ... He's also been a hell of a player for us on the court,' acting Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. Paul said after the game in Los Angeles it's strange seeing former teammates like Redick and Green as coaches. He added that he studies their moves closely as he tries to finalize his plans for retirement – whenever that will come. 'I talked to JJ before the game and I watched the strategy that goes into the game, knowing he was my teammate once, seeing him coaching and doing things outside of the box, and you got to do that if you're going to have a chance,' Paul said. 'But JJ is doing a great job over there and it's still surreal to be playing against him.' Redick said he's had conversations with Paul the last three years about the possibility of coaching someday. 'It is interesting because the fear for all of us, especially as we get towards the end, is there's nothing on the other side,' Redick said, referring to life after retiring as a player. 'And it's not about how much money you made in your career and how much money you saved, what you can live on. Highly competitive, highly driven, highly motivated people, there is a view, and that is CP. And the crazy thing is he could do anything he wanted to do because of who he is and how he's carried himself and the career he's had and the reputation he has and the person he is.' But for now, Redick stressed, Paul just 'wants to play the game.' 'And that says a lot about him,' Redick said. 'He's still chasing the little orange ball around. We all did when we were kids. To me, that's like love.' Castle expects Huskies to bounce back Spurs rookie Stephon Castle, who helped Connecticut win its second straight NCAA title in 2024, views the Huskies' 77-75 loss to Florida in the second round Sunday as merely a pause in the program's pursuit of championships. The loss to the top-seeded Gators ended one of the longest men's NCAA tournament win streaks in modern college basketball at 13 and means a new champion will be crowned on the men's side April 7 at the Alamodome. 'I wouldn't say the streak is over,' Castle said after shootaround Tuesday morning. 'I feel like it'll come back.' Castle was a freshman last season when UConn routed Purdue to become the eighth school to win back-to-back titles. 'I enjoyed my time there,' said Castle, who is the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year after the Spurs' drafted him fourth overall last June. Castle said he understood why Huskies coach Dan Hurley experienced a mix of emotions toward the end of the game and afterward, including anger at the officiating and sadness that it was the end of his time coaching seniors Hassan Diarra and Samson Johnson and possibly junior Alex Karaban, who is projected as a possible late first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. 'He'd been with a lot of those guys for over three years,' Castle said of Hurley. 'I'm sure it's super emotional. I can't imagine what he was feeling at that time, but he's a super genuine guy, so I know he is not going to hide it. But I know it was tough for the season to end like that.'
Lakers Hall Of Famer NBA Raptors Los Angeles Clippers Huskies Pistons NCAA Purdue CP Chris Paul Willie Green JJ Redick Stephon Castle JJ Mitch Johnson Hassan Diarra Hall Of Famer Alex Karaban Dan Hurley Dirk Nowitzki Jealous Harrison Barnes Julian Champagnie Rookie Of The Year Gators Samson Johnson Pelicans Toronto DETROIT Los Angeles Dallas Phoenix Florida Alamodome NBA Draft Castle
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