The San Antonio Spurs veteran point guard Chris Paul made some NBA history in a 125-118 win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. It was his 82nd start of the 2025-26 season, making him the only player to start all games in his 20th season in the league.
Paul also became just the third player with 82 appearances in a season at the age of 39. John Stockton did it for the Utah Jazz in 2001–02, before repeating the feat at the age of 40, and Michael Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards in 2002–03.
“It’s crazy,” Paul said after the game in which he had 15 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals. “I was talking to my wife about this. When you’re sort of in it, you’re not really thinking about it. It’s like, ‘OK, it’s Game 30. OK, it’s Game 40-something. It’s game such and such.'”
Paul was one of three Spurs players to play in all 82 games this season. The other two were Julian Champagnie and Harrison Barnes.
Chris Paul joined the San Antonio Spurs in the offseason, signing a one-year, $10.46 million deal with the franchise. He was brought in to serve as a mentor to the Spurs’ young core and received rave reviews from the coaching staff for his efforts.
Paul finished the season averaging 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game. The Spurs tumbled down the standings after a good start, mostly due to Victor Wembanyama’s season-ending injury, and finished the campaign at No. 13 in the West with a 34-48 record.
