Chris Paul moves to second all-time in assists

The Spurs honored Paul with a framed picture that included the names of every teammate he threw a dime to in his career. 

"We've all watched and admired you in this long journey," Spurs interim coach Mitch Johnson said as an emotional Paul looked on. "And we've all been privileged this year to experience it up close."

Paul fought back tears and showed gratitude to his teammates.

"I know I'm hard to deal with a lot of times, but I swear, I'm so grateful," Paul told his teammates. "As I've been away from my family, y'all became my family. I just love to hoop, and I hope y'all get the opportunity to play for as long as I have. So, thank you so much."

In his subsequent news conference, Paul said it was fitting that Wembanyama, projected to be the next face of the NBA, helped him reach the milestone after missing a few games with a back injury.  

"He came back just in time. It's been really cool to be a part of his journey," Paul said of the Spurs big man. 

Paul now trails all-time leader John Stockton (15,806) by 3,707 assists. 

It's next to impossible for the Spur to catch up to Stockton. For Paul to even sniff the Jazz legend's record, he'd have to play four full seasons, averaging over 11 assists per game. 

However, Paul has the opportunity to move to third place in all-time playoff assists leaders. The 39-year-old has 1,233 postseason assists, trailing Jason Kidd (1,263) by just 30 dimes. If the Spurs (12-12) reach the playoffs this season, he has good odds of overtaking Kidd. Leaders Magic Johnson (2,346), LeBron James (2,067) and Stockton (1,839) have a huge separation from fourth-place Kidd and fifth-place Paul.