San Antonio Spurs point guard Chris Paul remains a surprisingly effective offensive player, even at the ripe old age of 39.

The former 12-time All-Star is currently in the midst of his 20th NBA season, and though he’s no longer one of the league’s best players, he remains a stabilizing force on the hardwood and locker room leader.

Last summer, Paul opted to join the Spurs on a one-year, $11 million contract for 2024-25, in part to work under longtime playoff rival Gregg Popovich, and in part to dish out lobs to 7-foot-4 All-Star center Victor Wembanyama.

Stunningly, Paul seems to still have a lot left in the tank.

During a new conversation with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Paul revealed which way he was leaning with regard to suiting up for a possible 21st season.

“I’ll be 40 in May. So, yeah man, I’m going to keep playing, I think,” Paul said. “At the end of every season, I evaluate everything. Evaluate playing. Evaluate how my body feels. But the more years that go by, it’s more conversations with my family, with my kids. They have a lot of say so. They got a lot of input.”

Among his 2005 NBA Draft class, Paul is only player who remains in the league. He’s only five months younger than the NBA’s oldest active player, 40-year-old Los Angeles Lakers All-Star LeBron James.

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“Obviously, I got a lot of homies, friends that have retired or whatnot,” Paul said. “And they are always like, ‘Man, play as long as you possibly can. Play as long as you possibly can.’ And I appreciate that. But I also, I just always want to talk to my kids about it because that’s the most important job that I have.”

Stunningly, Paul has had one of his healthiest seasons ever. As longtime NBA insider Nekias Duncan observes, the 6-foot Wake Forest product has played in all 76 of San Antonio’s games thus far this season.

Paul is averaging 8.8 points on a .428/.383/.940 slash line, 7.6 dimes, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.3 steals a night. As Duncan notes, that assist rate ranks eighth across the NBA.

Duncan adds that Paul’s hyperefficient offense has been yielding 1.02 points per possession this year, better than the output of All-Stars James Harden, Cade Cunningham, Anthony Edwards, Devin Booker, LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey, De’Aaron Fox and LaMelo Ball.

When asked to reflect broadly on his career, Paul chose to look back in pride.

“Grateful. I don’t think about it too much,” Paul said. “I always tell these guys on my team, ‘I couldn’t imagine being done at 25. I couldn’t imagine being done at 35.’ I still can’t even imagine at some point being done. I’ve been in the league half of my life.”

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Although Paul will presumably take a backseat to now-rookie guard Stephon Castle and recent All-Star acquisition De’Aaron Fox as San Antonio looks to improve its backcourt offense around them next year, he seems to be appreciating his

“My love for the game is even higher now,” Paul added. “My son hoops. My daughter hoops. And I think the most challenging thing now is I love giving back to teammates, the team, giving them the little nuances that I know. I want to give some of that knowledge to my kids, too. I’m just figuring it out, seeing what that looks like.”

More San Antonio Spurs:

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Notable NBA Players Who Suffered Same Injury as Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama

What Victor Wembanyama’s Injury Means for Spurs’ Future

Victor Wembanyama, Chris Paul Disqualified from NBA All-Star Skills Challenge

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