Chris Paul being referred to as “Unc” (short for uncle) shouldn’t come to him as a shock. After all, at 39 years and 197 days, he’s the third-oldest player in the league. Tre Jones revealed how the roster started calling CP3 “Unc”.
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During an interaction with reporters at the San Antonio Spurs training facility, Jones revealed that rookie Stephon Castle first referred to Paul as “Unc”, and everyone sort of latched on to it after that.
“CP said Steph called him at first but it’s kind of trickled down to everybody now.”
Confirmed: Stephon Castle was the one who started calling Chris Paul “Unc” and now it has spread to the Harrison Barnes as well. pic.twitter.com/NdPaU7QjkN
— SpursRΞPORT (@SpursReporter) November 19, 2024
Jones also revealed that the same tag has also been passed on to Harrison Barnes, who is merely 32 years old. Per the league’s standards, Barnes wouldn’t be considered as “old”. But since he’s the second-oldest player on the Spurs, he has also been caught in the crossfire.
“Even Harrison (Barnes) at times, calling them both “Uncs” – the older guys,” Jones added.
Later in the interview, Jones emphasized on just how old the Point God, is compared to his teammates. “C’s been in the league longer than some guys have been alive. That is pretty crazy to even think about,” he concluded.
Jones’ comment, however, isn’t entirely accurate. CP3 has been in the league for precisely 19 years, 4 months, and 17 days. On the other hand, every member of the Spurs roster is at least 20 years old.
That being said, Jones’ remark isn’t far off, as seven players on the team are no older than 21. It will certainly be true after the 2025 NBA Draft when the Spurs draft new players.
Currently sitting 12th in the Western Conference standings, the Spurs are a young team finding their footing in the league this season. As the season continues, fans will hope to see this mix of Paul’s experience and the team’s youth energy develop into something special.
