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Chris Paul lauds San Antonio Spurs as the best organization he has played for
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- Chris Paul lauds San Antonio Spurs as the best organization he has played for
Chris Paul wrapped up his 21-year Hall of Fame career, but he is not going out as a legend as everyone expected.
Paul had an unceremonious exit after the Los Angeles Clippers sent him home early in December 2025. Then, the Toronto Raptors picked him up at the trade deadline before waiving him over a week later, ultimately forcing him to retire.
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With his career put into perspective, fans and pundits wonder which organization Paul has represented was the best and most memorable. Although each molded him into the future Hall of Famer he is today, only one team stuck with him the most: the San Antonio Spurs.
CP3 praises the Spurs
In the Spurs' game against the New Orleans Pelicans last season, Paul passed Jason Kidd for second place on the NBA's all-time assists leaderboard.
To celebrate this achievement, the Spurs gifted him a ball and a custom-made plaque featuring photos of him wearing jerseys from all the organizations he has played for, along with a list of the players he assisted the most. And finally, placed prominently in the center is the number of assists when he broke Kidd's record (12,091). Paul ended with 12,552.
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When Paul accepted the award in the locker room, he could not help but express his gratitude to the organization for such a classy gift.
"I can't say nothing but thank you, man," Paul said . "Being away from my family, y'all became my family and so I know I'm a lot to deal with on the court, but I just love to hoop and I hope that y'all get an opportunity to play as long as I have."
That plaque now hangs on his wall, which he proudly showed during the stream. It is because of tributes like this and their respect for legends that made Paul love the Spurs. It even prompted him to make a bold declaration about the franchise.
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"This is dope. The Spurs gave this to me last year," he said during a TylilShow Live stream. "My best organization I played for."
What made the Spurs the best
In his one-year stint, a 39-year-old Paul played and started in all 82 games, averaging 8.8 points, 3.6 assists and 7.4 rebounds in 28 minutes. Beyond the numbers, he served as a mentor to the young Spurs and was crucial to the development of their promising stars, especially Victor Wembanyama .
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His short stay yielded no winning results as they finished 13th in the Western Conference. However, there was something special about the team that his previous destinations could never provide.
The New Orleans Hornets gave him his ticket to the NBA. The Clippers allowed him to become a star. And the Phoenix Suns might have given him his first and only shot at the NBA Finals. However, playing for the Spurs trumps all of his stints with them because of the people he worked with.
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"The coaches, the guys on the team, all that, made it so much better because they made it fun and enjoyable to be around," he said .
On paper, Paul retired on the Clippers, as he had planned early in the season. But given how everything went down, he knows in his heart he ended his career as a Spur.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Feb 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
