“Can’t Lie You Have To Be MVP”: Shai Gilgeous Alexander Sings 39 Y/o Chris Paul’s Praise

Chris Paul spent only one season with the Thunder, but five years later, his roots in the organization are still strong. The 39-year-old guard is still thriving in the NBA as the starting point guard for the Spurs. However, he turned back the clock in a matchup against the Warriors. His performance earned praise from a player he once had under his wing, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

In the 2023-24 season, the Spurs were one of the worst teams in the league. They posted a 22-60 record, which was the third-worst season in franchise history. One of the few moves they made in the offseason involved acquiring the veteran point guard. Through 15 games, the team is above .500 and slotted at the 10th seed. CP3 posted a picture in his Spurs threads to Instagram and received praise from his former teammate, Gilgeous-Alexander. He said,

“Can’t lie you have to be MVP.”

Of course, Paul hasn’t performed at an MVP level in the league, but his impact on the Spurs is MVP-like. San Antonio looked abysmal on offense over the past two seasons. However, they’ve largely evolved in their maturity due to Paul’s presence.

Gilgeous-Alexander experienced the benefits of Paul as a leader in his first season with the Thunder. In the 2019-20 season, ESPN gave the Thunder a 0.2% chance of making the postseason. Not only were they a playoff team, they were the fifth seed and took the Rockets to seven games in the first round. Shai has evolved to an MVP-calibre player but credits Paul’s tutelage for progressing his career to this point.

Moreover, Paul has taken what he did during his time with the Thunder to the youthful prospects with the Spurs. CP3 and the organization are aware that he isn’t the starting guard for the foreseeable future. San Antonio drafted Stephon Castle with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft to be their eventual lead guard. However, they’ve given him one of the best guards of all time to be a leader.

In addition, Paul has instilled a winning mentality within this team. They aren’t dependent on a star such as Victor Wembanyama, they are competing every night. In a matchup against the Thunder, the Spurs were without their top three leading scorers, Wemby, Devin Vassell, and Jeremy Sochan, but still found a way to win behind a dagger three-pointer from the veteran guard.

The Spurs are far from being a contender in the Western Conference, but Paul’s impact is imperative to leading the organization back to a place of dominance.

Paul brings a winning mindset to the team

Throughout Paul’s career, he’s been the leader of teams competing for a championship. Although the Spurs aren’t on that level, it doesn’t mean they can’t be competitive on a nightly basis.

CP3 was aware of the situation the Spurs were in when he signed 1 one-year $10.46 million contract with them in the offseason. However, he took pride in always being on a competitive team and wanted to instill that culture with this young core.

“I don’t know what that ‘playing for nothing’ is about,” Paul said, following the Spurs’ victory over the Thunder. “Regardless of championship or not, every year, teams I’ve been on have been competitive. So, I wanted to come here, just bring that mindset, bring that attitude, and let these guys know that in order to win games, first and foremost, they’ve gotta believe.”

The West is loaded with talented teams. Therefore, there isn’t any guarantee that San Antonio will be in the top eight come May. Regardless, the tides are turning in that organization and Paul is a major catalyst for the change.