In a recent sit-down with Draymond Green, future NBA Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul finally responded to some words by his old rival, Patrick Beverley. In retaliation to being called a “chair” on defense, Paul took a shot at Beverley and let his body of work over the past 18+ years speak for itself.

“It made it to me,” said Paul. “First and foremost, a pair of lips will say anything. I get it. I done had many times where somebody said this or said that. The work speak for itself. I still compete on defense every night, especially. I’m probably not the defender I was some years ago… but the world we in now, people gonna say something. You got to give it that 24 hours. I’m not a guy that when something happens I run to my phone… you just stand on the work.”

After stints with the Hornets, Clippers, Thunder, Rockets, and Suns, Chris Paul is set to finish his career in San Francisco as a member of the Golden State Warriors. Often, he and Draymond were on opposite sides of the court but they are teammates now and have clearly developed a bond since joining forces this season. The same can not be said for Paul and Beverley, who remain fierce “enemies” to this day.

On the court, Beverley has always been physical with his opponents, but he and Paul always seem to play with an extra layer of intensity against each other. Dating back several, they have a history of getting physical and that’s exactly what happened during a game in 2021 when Bev was ejected for striking Paul with his elbow. While Chris Paul had been mostly silent behind the scenes, Beverley took any chance he got to take a shot at the point guard legend and even made a vow to “never stop” pestering him.

Of course, the worst of these jabs came just last year, when Beverley stated that Paul “can’t guard anybody” and that he’s nothing but a “cone” on the defensive end of the floor. While Chis Paul is certainly not the defender he used to be, he’s still someone who is a 9x All-Defensive player in his career and still probably better than most at the position.

While Chris Paul has already done enough to solidify himself in the NBA history books, he’ll never reach the levels of other all-time point guards if he doesn’t capture a title before he retires. At 38 years old, the window is closing fast for Chris to finally get it done but he’s doing his part this season with averages of 8.9 points, 7.2 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game off the bench for the Warriors.

Only time will tell how long he’s able to stick around with this team, or if he can win a title before it’s all said and done, but he’s got nothing left to prove in terms of his skillset on both ends of the floor. Paul, a 12x All-Star and 11x All-NBA player, continues to prove his worth even after 18 years in the league and he’s beyond taking it personally when his opponents call him out.