Chris Paul on why he joined the Spurs: “I want to play”

The Spurs' media day took place on Monday and the fans got to hear from the biggest addition of the summer, Chris Paul. The living legend answered questions about the city, Stephon Castle, and many other topics but also took the time to make it clear that he's not in San Antonio just to impart his wisdom from the bench or play a bit role .

When asked why he chose the Spurs, Paul said he "didn't just choose the Spurs. The Spurs obviously chose (him) also," before expanding on what factored in his thinking process.

"Looking at the team and also just the ability to play, to hoop, to get back to playing. I think that's the motivation. It's to compete. And to look at the team that they have here, obviously Pop, it looked like it could be a good fit. And I'm just excited for the new experience."

Paul averaged several career lows last season in Golden State, including total games started, minutes per game, total minutes played, field goal attempts per game and usage. It's clear that he played a severely reduced role compared to what he was used to on a team that had a starting point guard and has never played through one main ball handler. After more than a decade of being a superstar and the offensive engine of the lineups he was in, it seems Paul didn't enjoy the change. The Spurs were one of the few franchises that could offer him a starting spot, minutes and a significant role, so, as he said, the fit was good.

As if he hadn't been clear enough, Paul went even deeper into his motivation while answering a second question on the same topic later in the press conference. On why he picked San Antonio:

"Playing. I know that sounds really generic, but I think for me at this point, this being my 20th season, being away from my family — I love to play basketball and if I'm going to be away from my family, I wanted it to be meaningful. I want to play, I want to compete and so this was the best opportunity to do that. And knowing this organization and knowing Pop and knowing the resources that they have, I felt like this would be the best fit."

Paul is known for his competitiveness, so the quote makes sense, but it's interesting to see him have a different opinion about what is meaningful compared to other veterans. Time and time again, former stars choose to spend the last productive years of their career chasing rings. They take less money and smaller roles to have a chance to get a championship, especially if they have never won one. Paul has had an amazing career but the ultimate success has eluded him, as he only got to the Finals once, but it doesn't seem to bother him. He seems happy to suit up for a non-contender like the Spurs as long as he gets to play a sizable role and make his mark.

Whether his perspective is more noble than others can be debated, but it's unquestionably refreshing to see such an accomplished star at the end of his career wanting to show that he can still play and be a difference-maker in the league.