As the Phoenix Suns were celebrating on the court after booking an NBA Finals ticket, Chris Paul was vividly emotional as he looked back on how far he’s come in his 16-year journey.
"I write something on my shoes every game,” Paul said at center court. “It says ‘Can’t Give Up Now.’ Mary Mary got a song called ‘Can’t Give Up Now’. I listened to it the day I got traded to OKC. That’s why I write it on my shoes every game.”
It was a surreal and touching moment for everyone who followed Paul’s career. He spent his first six seasons in New Orleans as he rose the ranks to become one of the game’s best guards. He then spent six years of his career with the Los Angeles Clippers, which he transformed into a playoff contender, but never getting past the semifinals.
After two more failed seasons with the Houston Rockets, he found himself in Oklahoma. He was 35 years old at that time, and he seemed farther and farther from his elusive goal of winning the title. At that point in his career, he had seen a mountain of playoff losses due to injuries and failed chances.
But as the lyrics of Mary Mary’s song go, "I just can't give up now. I’ve come too far from where I started from. Nobody told me the road would be easy and I don't believe He's brought me this far to leave me.”
So Paul didn’t give up on his most coveted dream. The rebuilding Thunder turned out to be more than a mere mentoring ground for Paul. It became the perfect avenue to reestablish his value to other teams. The Phoenix Suns saw that value and acquired him.
This season, however, has also had its shares of personal challenges for Paul. He injured his shoulder in the first-round series against the Lakers. He then sat out the first two games versus the Clippers after getting COVID-19. The avalanche of struggles continued to pour but he refused to give up.
Fast-forward to the aftermath of Game 6, Paul finally has one foot in the door of an NBA championship. As fate would have it, he had his moment against the very same team on the very same court he tried to win it all with earlier in his career.
“Don’t lose…. Don’t lose mission,” Paul said on what was going through his head in the series-clinching game.
Paul was definitely on a mission to close out the Clippers. He fired 41 points, tying his career-high. He made 7-of-8 3s and tallied eight assists, four rebounds, three steals, and zero turnovers.He scored 31 points in the last two quarters — the most he’s had in a half, including 19 in the final frame. He delivered the finishing touches against the Clippers with a couple of backbreaking triples.
"I’m just so happy for the people around me, you know what I mean? And to do it here in LA, with the Clippers, this is my family too. I gave six hard years to the Clippers. We fought hard,” Paul said.
After paying his respects to the Clippers, he showed love to his current team as they waited to hoist the Western Conference Finals trophy.
"But this group right here? This group right here? This gang right here? Man, since day one, they welcomed me with open arms,” Paul said to the Suns. "Coach (Monty Williams), we did this 10 years ago in New Orleans, and we still got a lot of work to do but we’re gonna enjoy this.”
Paul had 37 points in the series clincher against the Denver Nuggets in the last round. He then had 41 points to close out the Clippers. He’s been on a “don’t lose mission” in these playoffs and is now four wins away from the title.
"And my family up top,” Paul said as he pointed to his family in the stands. "That’s my gang. Straight up. 16 years of this...16 years... surgeries, hard work, losses, bad losses, but we’re gonna enjoy tonight. We’re gonna enjoy it.”
After a decade and a half, Paul is on the cusp of capturing the Larry O’Brien trophy. Through four teams, countless injuries, lost playoff attempts, and a myriad of heartbreaks, he now has a chance to become a champion.
You can bet that when he steps out on the court in his first Finals appearance, he’ll still have that message written across his shoes: “Can’t give up now."
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