With a steal off Nikola Mirotic tonight against the Pelicans, Chris Paul became the 12th player in NBA history to reach the 2,000-steal plateau.
Paul also joins Jason Kidd, Gary Payton and John Stockton as the only players with 8,000 assists and 2,000 steals.
Paul entered this season with 1,912 career steals, which had him at 16th place all-time in that category. Before reaching the 2,000-steal mark, Paul passed Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant (1,944 career steals), Dallas Mavericks legend Derek Harper (1,957) and Hall of Famer Allen Iverson (1,983).
Paul trails former Atlanta Hawks All-Star guard Mookie Blaylock (2,075) for 11th place on the all-time list. Hall of Famer and Utah Jazz legend John Stockton is the all-time leader in steals with 3,085.
Here’s a look back at some other notable steal milestone dates in Paul’s career:
* 100th career steal: New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets 100, Chicago Bulls 95 (Feb. 1, 2006)
* 500th career steal: New Orleans Hornets 104, Los Angeles Lakers 107 (April 11, 2008)
* 1,000th career steal — New Orleans Hornets 108, Indiana Pacers 96 (April 3, 2011)
* 1,500th career steal — LA Clippers 104, Golden State Warriors 121 (Nov. 5, 2014)
In 2011, Paul became the fourth fastest player in NBA to history to record 1,000 steals, doing it in 420 games. The only players who did it faster are Michael Ray Richardson (383), Michael Jordan (362) and Alvin Robertson (351).
In 2008, Paul set an NBA record with a steal in his 106th straight regular-season game. That feat took place on Dec. 17, 2008, breaking Alvin Robertson’s mark set between November 1985 and December 1986. Michael Jordan had the third-longest streak in that category, swiping the ball in 77 consecutive regular-season games from March of 1988 to March of 1989.
Paul’s streak reached 108 games before it ended on Dec. 25 in a loss to the Orlando Magic.
In his career, Paul has led the NBA in total steals five times (2005-06, ’07-08, ’08-09, ’10-11 and ’11-12) and steals per game six times (’07-08, ’08-09, ’10-11, ’11-12, ’12-13 and ’13-14). Entering tonight’s game, Paul ranked ninth in steals per game (1.7) and was 26th in total steals (87).
