It’s what Kobe would have wanted.
That’s what Chris Paul told reporters after Wednesday night’s game in Sacramento.
In his first time talking to reporters since the news about Bryant’s death broke, Paul’s demeanor was subdued, his voice quiet when speaking about his close friend.
“Just you know, I feel for the families,” he said. “It’s a big loss for everybody. Probably the best thing I could’ve done is to get out there and play. Kobe wouldn’t have it any other way.”
"It's great when it's a team effort like that." @cp3 with the media following the game.#ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/gb2GpyKBEA
— FOX Sports Oklahoma (@FOXSportsOK) January 30, 2020
Paul returned against the Kings after missing Monday’s game with the Mavericks due to personal reasons.
He didn’t have his best game of the season, scoring nine points while dishing out 10 assists and grabbing four rebounds. But that’s okay. The Thunder didn’t need him to.
Instead, Paul needed to be around his teammates, telling reporters, including Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman, that the experience was “therapeutic”.
“It’s great when it’s a team effort like that,” Paul said of the win. “Everyone gets a chance to play and share the ball. It’s fun. Being back around them guys is therapeutic.”
Kobe’s teammate with the Lakers, Matt Barnes, talked to The Jump earlier on Wednesday about seeing Paul for the first time since Bryant’s death. He said that Paul was “crushed” by the news.
“Chris is a very emotional, wear his heart on his sleeve type of guy. So we had a moment, and we discussed, and we’re just in disbelief.”
Barnes said that Paul had taken time to see his family and was in L.A. when the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others occurred. According to Barnes, Paul was in town for his daughter’s recital and the accident was “just down the street” from where the recital took place.
Matt Barnes on seeing Chris Paul since Kobe Bryant’s passing: pic.twitter.com/rStKrLjcRA
— TheLakersReview (@TheLakersReview) January 29, 2020
On Wednesday night, in a moment of levity, Paul joked that Bryant would’ve been proud of Thunder rookie Lu Dort, who scored a career-high 23 points without tallying an assist.
“I actually told Dort toward the end of the game, Kobe probably would have been proud of him because he had 23 points and no assists,” Paul said. “Kobe was all about being aggressive and staying aggressive.”
Paul and the Thunder will continue their road trip on Friday night when Oklahoma City takes on the Phoenix Suns.