Chris Paul Discusses Return from COVID Benching
The Suns’ point guard isn’t satisfied with his first game since recovery.
Recently, Chris Paul, point guard for the Phoenix Suns, was given some unpleasant news: he had tested positive for COVID-19, and would need to sit out several games. Thanks to being vaccinated against the disease, Paul wasn’t hit with any debilitating symptoms, but in the interest of league and player safety, he was forced to quarantine away from his teammates.
“I was laying in bed with my kids and got a text from Brady,” Paul said. “It is what it is. I dealt with it. Anybody with kids, anytime you’re going through something, the hardest part is being away from your kids and your family. Once you get over the shock of what’s happening, to hell with how and why. You just start figuring out how you can get better.”
During his down time, Paul was regularly contacted by his teammates and friends with well-wishes. “I talked to a few guys around the league who called, checked on me and whatnot,” he said. “I think the biggest thing, they called and said they just loved the way our team is. A few guys, like stars in our league, called and said, ‘Man, just to see the way that you guys really play together, play for each other, that’s real’ — our relationships and stuff.
“It’s genuine. It’s a fun group to be around, and when you’re around a group like that, you want to win. You don’t ever want the season to end because you actually like being around each other.”
Chris Paul is officially available for Game 3, the Suns announced Thursday. pic.twitter.com/7wlQWH2zgi
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 24, 2021
Yesterday, Paul’s quarantine ended, and he was able to return to the court in time for the Suns’ game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Unfortunately, the team suffered a 106-92 defeat, and while he wasn’t in the mood to discuss it at length, Paul was clearly upset with his own performance in the game.
“I got to be better. I shot terrible,” Paul said. “I’ve got to pick up the pace. We’ll be ready Game 4.”