Chris Paul Makes History: Be The First Player To Start In 82 Games In The 20th Season In The NBA

JAKARTA - San Antonio Spurs' point guard, Chris Paul, made a new history in the NBA after becoming the first player to start 82 games in the 20th season of his career. This extraordinary achievement surpassed the previous record held by Utah Jazz legend John Stockton, who started all 82 matches in the 19th and final seasons.

Paul, who will turn 40 next month, is also one of only three players in NBA history to feature in 82 games at that age. Stockton did so at 39 and 40, while Michael Jordan played 82 games in his final season at 39, despite only being a starter in 67 games.

This is crazy, said Paul. I talked to my wife earlier. When you're living it, you don't really think about it. It feels like, 'OK, this is the 30th Game, 40th Game, and so on.'

Paul also closed the regular season consistently: appearing and starting in the 82nd Game.

This season, Paul is one of six NBA players to start in all 82 games. The other five are Mikal Bridges (New York Knicks), Jaden McDaniels (Minnesota Timberwolves), Jalen Green (Houston Rockets), Jarrett Allen (Cleveland Cavaliers), and Paul's team-mate at Spurs, Harrison Barnes.

Spurs also set record for the first team since the Minnesota Timberwolves season 2017-18 which has three players performing in all 82 regular season matches. Apart from Paul and Barnes, Julian Champagnie also took part.

For Barnes who is now in his first season with Spurs, the last match was his 304th appearance in a row. Paul and Barnes became the first Spurs players to feature in all regular season matches since Bryn Forbes and Patty Mills in the 2018-19 season. They are also the first full starter since Bruce Bowen in 2006-07.

The 20th season and this is my second time playing 82 games," Paul said, quoted by VOI from NBA.com. With my experience so far, I understand very well how difficult it is. Because of that, I have great respect for Barnes who has done it for three years in a row. And also Mikal, my former teammate, who has never been absent.

Several other players also set attendance records in Game 82, such as Buddy Hield (Golden State), Malik Beasley (Detroit), Bub Carrington (Washington), and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Minnesota).

Bridges has even increased its streak record to 556 regular games in a row without missing a total of 556 games that may have been played since entering the NBA. Including 116 matches at Villanova and 39 NBA playoffs, Bridges has recorded 711 games non-stop since college.

Knicks even rested four starters in the final regular season which had no effect on the standings, but Bridges kept playing for six seconds to keep his strength, before being replaced by Landry Shamet.

"I think he deserves that," said the Knicks coach, Tom Thibodeau. He deserves credit for his consistency. He really takes care of his body and professionalism.

The same thing happened to Jarrett Allen, who played 41 seconds to lock in 82 starts this season.

Sacramento Kings' Jonas Valanciunas should have also been able to reach 82 matches, but only appeared in 81 because on February he was declared inactive for two teams at once Washington and Sacramento while the trade process was still ongoing. He played on February 6 and has never been absent since then.

Paul is now the 11th player in NBA history to make 20 seasons. If LeBron James plays next season, he will be the first player to reach 23 seasons, surpassing Vince Carter's record (22 seasons).

Robert Parish, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kevin Willis have all played 21 seasons. If Paul returns next season, he will be in that group. Other players such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, Jamal Crawford, and Udonis Haslem are all retiring after 20 seasons, and Kyle Lowry is predicted to follow next year.

I know there is still something in my tank, said Paul. This hot season will be a good time to evaluate everything, the opportunities that exist. But my love for this game is still very strong.