The Phoenix Suns were tripped up on Thursday night in their final game ahead of the NBA All-Star break by the LA Clippers. They lost the game 116-107, but better days are on the horizon as we are getting closer and closer to Kevin Durant making his return to the court and debut in the desert.
While the outcome against the Clippers certainly wasn’t what the Suns were hoping for, there was one memorable takeaway from the game. Point guard Chris Paul picked up four steals in the game, which gives him 2,515 in his career.
That officially moves him into third place on the all-time list, as he surpassed Michael Jordan on Thursday night. Jordan finished his illustrious career with 2,514 steals and now sits fourth on the all-time list.
Depending on how many more seasons Paul decides to play, there is a chance that he will be able to chase down Jason Kidd for the No. 2 spot on the list. Kidd is currently 169 ahead of Paul with 2,684 in his career.
NBA NEWS & RECORDS: Chris Paul & Phoenix Suns Updates
Paul has battled numerous injuries this season, so expecting him to play in all 32 remaining games this season is likely unrealistic. Averaging 1.6 steals per game, it is fair to assume that Paul will pick up between 20-30 steals for the remainder of the season depending on how many games he can suit up for.
That would put him right in the 140-ish range behind Kidd for career steals. That is a number that Paul has surpassed numerous times in his career, but has not reached since the 2014-15 season. Realistic expectations would be for Paul to surpass Kidd during the 2024-25 season, should he even opt to play that long.
NBA NEWS & RECORDS: Chris Paul & Phoenix Suns Updates
John Stockton, who is in first place, will be holding that spot for a long time. His steals record is going to be standing for a very long time as there isn’t an active player within arm’s reach of him. He is currently 750 steals clear of Paul, so his record will be safe for the time being as Paul won’t reach that number unless he plays deep into his 40s.
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