By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2024-11-16 13:53:47
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
2024年11月15日，德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥市：在弗罗斯特银行中心举行的酋长杯比赛开始前，圣安东尼奥马刺队的3号克里斯·保罗(Chris Paul)向洛杉矶湖人队的23号勒布朗·詹姆斯(LeBron James)致意。
那是2006年2月5日。保罗当时是新奥尔良黄蜂队一名20岁的新秀控球后卫，正准备第一次客场挑战犹他爵士队。
“我当时想，‘我要超越他（斯托克顿）’，”现年39岁、在马刺队效力第一个赛季的保罗说道。
近二十年后，保罗终于承认了当时每个人都显而易见的事实。
“那纯粹是说大话，”保罗笑着说。
即使没有超越斯托克顿，保罗——也被称为NBA的“控球之神”——也拥有了一段值得骄傲的职业生涯。
而且，这段生涯还没有结束。
这是保罗本场比赛的第三次助攻，也是他职业生涯的第12000次助攻。
2024年11月15日，星期五，在圣安东尼奥举行的酋长杯篮球赛上半场，洛杉矶湖人队的奥斯汀·里夫斯(Austin Reaves)（15号）与圣安东尼奥马刺队的维克托·文班亚马(Victor Wembanyama)（右）和克里斯·保罗纠缠在一起。（美联社照片/达伦·阿贝特）
“哇，真是个大数字，”20岁的文班亚马说道。“很难想象你需要多少年场均多少助攻才能达到这个数字。”
在周六客场挑战达拉斯的比赛前，保罗的助攻数已经达到了12008次，而且还在不断增加。如果没有长久的职业生涯和一点运气，任何球员都无法达到这个数字。
这是保罗的第20个NBA赛季，他是联盟历史上第11位征战20个赛季的球员。
这份名单上的大多数名字都属于大个子：卡里姆·阿卜杜尔-贾巴尔(Kareem Abdul Jabbar)、凯文·加内特(Kevin Garnett)、凯文·威利斯(Kevin Willis)、罗伯特·帕里什(Robert Parish)、德克·诺维茨基(Dirk Nowitzki)、尤多尼斯·哈斯勒姆(Udonis Haslem)。
其他人则是以非凡的身体素质而闻名：勒布朗·詹姆斯(LeBron James)、科比·布莱恩特(Kobe Bryant)、文斯·卡特(Vince Carter)、贾马尔·克劳福德(Jamal Crawford)。
官方身高6英尺的保罗是目前为止征战20个NBA赛季的最矮球员。
保罗认为自己能在相对矮小的身材下拥有如此长的职业生涯，部分原因在于他对比赛的思考。
“很多人说这是一个高个子的比赛，”保罗说。“但我比任何人都更认真地研究比赛。”
湖人队教练J.J.雷迪克(J.J. Redick)在洛杉矶快船队效力时曾与保罗一起打了五个赛季。他称保罗是“我合作过的最聪明的球员之一，也是我对抗过的最聪明的球员之一”。
高个子球员永远都是高个子。然而，后卫往往会随着时间的推移失去速度和运动能力。
像保罗这样的球员需要一种不同的优势才能超越他的运动能力巅峰期。
“作为一名身材较小的球员，当你的运动能力和速度开始下降时，这一点会变得非常明显，”雷迪克说。“不仅你自己能感觉到，任何观看比赛的人——对手、球探——都能感觉到。”
“克里斯能够在这个级别打这么长时间，部分原因在于他非常聪明，”雷迪克说。
保罗的篮球智商让他对像马刺这样一支年轻的、正在学习的球队仍然很有用。
然而，他的篮球智商只是他非凡的职业生涯长度的部分解释。另一个解释可以在保罗的内心深处找到。
“如果你没有极高的竞技耐力，你不可能在这个行业里待这么久，”雷迪克说。“无论是篮球、保龄球、（纸牌游戏）Bourre、高尔夫——无论我和克里斯一起做过什么——他都是一个好胜心极强的人。”
当保罗想到自己在NBA的二十年职业生涯时，他脑海中浮现出一个词：牺牲。
他牺牲了自己的饮食，几年前他完全改成了纯素食。他牺牲了自己的空闲时间，经常用来锻炼以保持30多岁的巅峰状态。
他牺牲了自己的个人生活以及陪伴妻子和家人的时间，他的家人在洛杉矶定居。
周五，当保罗在圣安东尼奥带领球队与湖人队比赛失利时，他的儿子小克里斯(Chris Jr.)正在洛杉矶开始他的高中篮球赛季。
“这是日以继夜的训练，”保罗说。“深夜按摩。早上起床。健康饮食。度假时也要训练。日复一日地观看比赛录像。”
没有人比保罗的妻子贾达(Jada)牺牲得更多，她很久以前就放弃了要求丈夫在约会之夜把iPad留在家里，如果那天晚上有重要的NBA比赛要看的话。
“幸运的是，我们从我18岁起就在一起了，”保罗说。“她也看比赛。”
即使是在保罗的第20个赛季，马刺队也为能拥有他而感到荣幸。
“他绝对是篮球史上最伟大的篮球智者之一，”前锋朱利安·尚帕尼(Julian Champagnie)说道。“要在这个联盟里待这么久，你必须拥有特殊的才能和特殊的头脑。对我来说，这就是克里斯。”
随着职业生涯接近尾声，保罗不太可能在历史助攻榜上超越斯托克顿。然而，在周六的比赛前，他距离超越基德(Jason Kidd)升至第二位只差84次助攻，这是一个不错的安慰奖。
基德支持保罗做到这一点。与文班亚马——一个7英尺3英寸的助攻刷子——一起打球只会增加保罗的机会。
本赛季保罗已经给文班亚马送出了39次助攻，这是NBA中球员之间最高的助攻数。
“对于克里斯来说，与维克托搭档再好不过了，”现任独行侠队教练的基德说道。“这对现在的保罗来说是一件好事，我认为这对马刺来说也是一件好事。”
周五深夜，在马刺队飞往达拉斯，湖人队飞往新奥尔良之前，NBA现役经验最丰富的两位球员在弗罗斯特银行中心的一个后走廊相遇。
詹姆斯(LeBron James)正在征战他的第22个赛季，他是目前联盟中唯一比保罗效力时间更长的球员。
“很高兴看到一位亲爱的朋友仍在做他喜欢做的事情，”詹姆斯说。
不出所料，他们在谈话中提到了篮球生涯的终点。
“我和勒布朗稍微谈了一下，”保罗说。“我们不知道还能打多久，但我对这项运动以及这些年来我能够做到和学到的东西充满了感激之情。”
詹姆斯和保罗都明白他们的时间不多了。保罗的目标是充分利用他的时间，一次一次助攻地积累。
SAN ANTONIO, TX - NOVEMBER 15: Chris Paul #3 of the San Antonio Spurs huddles up his team during game against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half the Emirates NBA Cup game at the Frost Bank Center on November 15, 2024 in San Antonio, Texas.
San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates a basket with guard Chris Paul during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - NOVEMBER 7: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs is congratulated by Chris Paul #3 during a game against the PortlandTrail Blazers in the second half at Frost Bank Center on November 7, 2024 in San Antonio, Texas.
点击查看原文：Longevity means sacrifice for Spurs' Chris Paul
Longevity means sacrifice for Spurs’ Chris Paul
SAN ANTONIO, TX - NOVEMBER 15: Chris Paul #3 of the San Antonio Spurs greets LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers before the start of the Emirates NBA Cup game at the Frost Bank Center on November 15, 2024 in San Antonio, Texas.
It was February 5, 2006. Paul was a 20-year-old rookie point guard with the New Orleans Hornets, on the road to face Utah for the first time.
“I was like, ‘I’m going to catch that,’" said Paul, now 39 and in his first season with the Spurs.
Nearly two decades later, Paul can admit what was evident to everyone else back then.
“That was a lie,” Paul said with a chuckle.
Even without catching Stockton, Paul – aka the NBA’s resident “Point God” – has put together a career to be proud of.
And it isn’t quite over yet.
It was Paul’s third assist of the game, and the 12,000th of his career.
Los Angeles Lakers’ Austin Reaves (15) tangles with San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama, right, and Chris Paul during the first half of an Emirates NBA Cup basketball game, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
“Wow, that’s such a big number,” the 20-year-old Wembanyama said. “It’s hard to imagine how much you need to average for how many years (to get there).”
Heading into Saturday’s game at Dallas, Paul was up to 12,008 assists and counting. It is a number no player reaches without a lot of longevity and a little bit of luck.
Paul is in his 20th NBA season, the 11th player in league annals to survive two decades.
Most of the names on the list belong to big men: Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Willis, Robert Parish, Dirk Nowitzki, Udonis Haslem.
Others are renowned athletic freaks of nature: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Vince Carter, Jamal Crawford.
Generously listed at 6 feet tall, Paul is by far the shortest to log 20 NBA seasons.
Paul attributes his long career at a short stature in part to the thought he puts into his craft.
“A lot of people say it’s a tall man’s game,” Paul said. “But I study the game more than anybody.”
Lakers coach J.J. Redick played five seasons with Paul as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers. He calls Paul “one of the smartest players I’ve played with, and one of the smartest players I’ve played against.”
Tall players never stop being tall. Guards, however, tend to lose their quickness and athleticism over time.
A player such as Paul needs a different kind of edge to last past his athletic expiration date.
“As a smaller player, when your athleticism and your quickness starts to go it becomes very apparent,” Redick said. “Not just to yourself, but to anyone watching the game – the opponents, the scouts.
“Chris has been able to play this long at this level partially because he’s very intelligent,” Redick said.
Paul’s basketball IQ has continued to make him useful to a young, learning team like the Spurs.
Yet his basketball brain is only part of the explanation for his uncommon longevity. The other explanation is found inside Paul’s heart.
“You don’t get to do this for so long if you don’t have an insanely high level of competitive stamina,” Redick said. “Whether it’s basketball, bowling, (the card game) Bourre, golf – whatever it is I’ve ever done with Chris – he’s a competitive freak.”
When Paul thinks of his two decades in the NBA, one word comes to mind: Sacrifice.
There is the sacrifice of his diet, which he converted to full vegan a few years ago. There is the sacrifice in his free time, which is often spent working out to stay in tip-top shape in his late 30s.
There is the sacrifice in his personal life and the time he must spend away from his wife and family, who have buried roots in Los Angeles.
On Friday, as Paul was quarterbacking a losing effort against the Lakers in San Antonio, his son Chris Jr., was starting his high school basketball season back in L.A.
“It’s training all day and all night,” Paul said. “The late-night massages. It’s getting up in the morning. It’s eating right. It’s training while you’re on vacation. It’s watching film day in and day out.”
Nobody has sacrificed more than Paul’s wife, Jada, who long ago gave up asking her husband to leave his iPad at home on date night if there was an important NBA game to watch.
“Luckily we’ve been together since I was 18,” Paul said. “She watches too.”
The Spurs feel privileged to have Paul around, even in year 20.
“He’s definitely one of the greatest basketball minds to ever play the game,” forward Julian Champagnie said. “To stick around that long, you have to be a special talent and a special mind. To me, that’s what Chris is.”
With his career winding down, Paul is unlikely to eclipse Stockton atop the all-time assist chart. He came into Saturday’s game 84 assists shy of passing Kidd for second place, however, a not-so-bad consolation prize.
Kidd is rooting for Paul to get there. Playing with Wembanyama – a 7-foot-3 hack for stacking up assists – should only enhance Paul’s chances.
Paul has thrown 39 assists to Wembanyama this season, the most in the NBA from one player to another.
“Chris couldn’t ask for a better situation with Victor,” said Kidd, now the Mavericks’ coach. “It’s a great thing for CP right now and I think it’s a great thing for the Spurs.”
Late Friday night, before the Spurs left for a flight to Dallas and the Lakers departed for New Orleans, the NBA’s two most experienced active players crossed paths in a back hallway at the Frost Bank Center.
In his 22nd season, James is the only current player in the league with more service time than Paul.
“It’s always great to see a dear friend out there still doing what he loves to do,” James said.
Not surprisingly, the idea of basketball mortality came up in the conversation.
“Me and ‘Bron talked about it a little bit,” Paul said. “We don’t know how much longer it’s going to be, but I have so much gratitude for this game and the things I’ve been able to do and learn over the years.”
Both James and Paul understand their time is running short. Paul aims to make the most of his, one assist at a time
SAN ANTONIO, TX - NOVEMBER 15: Chris Paul #3 of the San Antonio Spurs huddles up his team during game against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second half the Emirates NBA Cup game at the Frost Bank Center on November 15, 2024 in San Antonio, Texas.
San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates a basket with guard Chris Paul during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
SAN ANTONIO, TX - NOVEMBER 7: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs is congratulated by Chris Paul #3 during a game against the PortlandTrail Blazers in the second half at Frost Bank Center on November 7, 2024 in San Antonio, Texas.
By Jeff McDonald, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News