On Thursday, Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul added another accomplishment to his legacy. Paul moved into the top 10 of the all-time steals list.
In the third quarter of the Rockets 121-118 win over the Miami Heat, Paul stole the ball from Heat forward Kelly Olynyk. This was Paul’s 2,086 career steal, which placed him in the top 10 of the NBA’s all-time steals list. He passed NBA Hall-of-Famer Karl Malone, who had 2085 steals.
https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/1101309606473723904
Paul is not only in the top 10 of all-time steals, he is also in the top 10 of all-time assists. He is eighth on the assists list and one of two active players on the list. His good friend LeBron James reached the top 10 in assists on Monday. Paul has 9,028 assists and James has 8,545. James made history by being the first non-guard to enter the top 10. He also became the first to rank in the top 10 of scoring and assists. James made history but Paul did as well. With Paul’s recent accomplishment, he became the fourth player to reach the top 10 in both assists and steals. He joins guards such as John Stockton, Jason Kidd and Gary Payton. So, Paul is in good company.
Paul is 10 on the steals list, but has a chance to become ninth quickly. He is 26 steals away from Alvin Robertson. Robertson has a total of 2,112 steals. Paul can close in on the gap between him and Robertson within the next season. The Rockets have 18 left in this season. Paul could easily get closer to Robertson’s 2,112, but may not pass Robertson just yet. However, he should be close.
This season, Chris Paul averages 2.0 steals per game. Every year he is on one of the All-NBA Defensive teams. He made the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2008. It was the first time he made a defensive team. Since then, he has made one of the teams almost every season. He made the All-NBA Defensive First Team from 2012-2017. He is also a six-time NBA steals leader. Now, he will continue rising up the ranks with the possibility of become the all-time leader. Only time will tell.
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