Chris Paul

Most often the player throwing accurate rainbows that send other, highflying teammates through the skies, Chris Paul wasn’t one to complain about the rarefied air that said year-by-year excellence put him in from ground level on November 15, 2024. Preferring for the San Antonio Spurs’ first statement against the NBA’s reigning In-Season Tournament champions to be both pinpoint and powerful, Paul plays the pick-and-roll conductor role, commanding first Anthony Davis’ respect through a pump-fake. With the bait officially laid in drawing out the Los Angeles Lakers’ feared rim protector, Paul returns to his historic portrait, hooking an on-a-rope alley-oop dime to his own star center, cementing his spot on the NBA’s 12,000-assist plateau. Long deemed a contender on the league’s unofficial Mount Rushmore of passers and pure point guards, Paul’s brilliance made him just the third-ever to accomplish said accolade. The Lakers eventually overcame San Antonio’s historic opening-game statement, dealing a loss; Paul, though, reserved the spotlight nonetheless, securing 11 points (on three-of-six shooting), two rebounds, 11 assists, two steals, and two 3-pointers.