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Andrew Lopez, ESPN
SAN ANTONIO — In the twilight years of his career, Chris Paul could have tried to win an NBA championship, but he opted to stay with a team that finished 22-60 last season.
Why? Because he still wants to compete.
“There's nothing I love more than the opportunity to play and contribute and play basketball,” Paul said at his introductory press conference on Tuesday.
Paul signed a one-year contract with the Spurs and could have stayed closer to his home near Los Angeles, but instead chose to play in San Antonio and away from his family.
“It's all about family. My wife is here and my kids are back in L.A. and I'll be there for the season,” Paul said. “I love basketball so being close to home is fine, but if I'm not playing I'm not happy.”
“And I love my family to death, so when this opportunity came up, even though it meant being away from them, they know me better than anyone and they know that I just want to play. And I want to play more than anything, so that's why I'm so grateful for my family and even more grateful to be here.”
Paul will also be teaming up with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich for the first time in his career, and he said it's an “honor and privilege” to play for Popovich at this stage of his career.
“Obviously, I've admired Pop from afar for years, and when you've been in the job for a while, like he's been for a long time, there's a lot of respect there,” Paul said, “Not just for his basketball IQ, but as a person, as a competitor and all of that.”
While discussing his illustrious 19-year career in the Western Conference, Paul said he's never faced more teams than the Spurs, and he was right: Paul has played 81 games against the Spurs across the playoffs and regular season, more than any other team in the NBA.
Paul said his meeting with Popovich before agreeing to sign with the Spurs was more of a conversation than Popovich making a pitch to him.
Paul, now 39, joins a squad that was the youngest in the league last season and which also features one of the sport's most exciting young players in Rookie of the Season Victor Wembanyama.
Paul said he and Harrison Barnes, acquired in a three-way trade from Sacramento, were on a flight to San Antonio on Monday and talked about how they can't wait to watch Wembanyama improve every day.
“I [Wembanyama] “There's probably not going to be a player this season that the whole league is talking about after games like he is,” Paul said. “Everybody's just going to have to adjust.”
Barnes signed a three-year, $54 million contract extension with the Sacramento Kings last summer, but with two years remaining on his contract, the team was no longer needed as they pursued DeMar DeRozan.
As part of the deal, Barnes waived a 10% trade bonus to facilitate the deal involving the Kings, Spurs and Chicago Bulls. On Tuesday, Barnes explained why he turned down the additional cash, saying it was a “pretty easy decision.”
“It's funny, with the new CBA, trade kickers have become more important than I expected, but I think the opportunity to come here and play for Pop and play for this team is exciting,” Barnes said.
Barnes will be reunited with Popovich, who coached him with Team USA during the FIBA World Cup in 2019. Barnes said he not only remembers the great team dinners he had under Coach Popovich, but also his ability to build relationships with all of the players.
“He talks to each player differently and knows how to interact with them,” Barnes said, “so I think that's why he and I clicked. He's a straightforward guy, and I like that about him.”
Both Barnes and Paul understand their role as elder statesmen for the Spurs. Devonte' Graham, who turned 29 in February, finished last season as the team's oldest player.
Paul and the 32-year-old Burns now have the title and will lead a young team for years to come, but Paul is also excited about what he can learn.
“The best thing about my career is, sure, I've been to teams that are younger than me, but I'm always learning from them,” Paul said.
“I had the opportunity to play with [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander] I got the opportunity to learn from him in his second year in the league. [Devin Booker]Mikal Bridges and all of those guys. So I'm excited to share with them what I know and what they want to know, but I'm also excited to see what I can learn from them.”
