Chris Paul has a message for Spurs fans: ‘I just hate to lose’

SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs officially introduced their newest member, Chris Paul, and had a direct message to the San Antonio fanbase: He hates to lose.

“I just hate to lose. I always say I hate to lose more than I like to win.”

Paul, the hard-nosed, rugged point guard, has built a reputation in his storied career as a player who will do everything and anything to win.

From jawing at refs to getting on his teammates to perform better, selling fouls, and pointing out to game officials that an opposing player is not tucking his jerseys in his shorts, Paul will find a way to put the teams he’s played on in a position to win.

“One thing you should know about is we [are] going to compete. We [are] definitely going to compete,” he said.

Paul has carried a hyper-competitive fire throughout his long NBA career. 

At times, he’s even rubbed his teammates the wrong way, as his former Clipper teammate, DeAndre Jordan, stated on the “Podcast P with Paul George” show.

“Chris, he expected a lot out of all of us, and I think that people get rubbed the wrong way with that and I think when you’re young, you’re kind of like ‘Damn, what the (expletive).’”

Say what you will about Paul’s on-court persona or interactions with teammates, but the point is clear: He wants to win at all costs. Perhaps this is what the young Spurs need in this rebuild.

“We [are] definitely going to compete, but this fan base has had a lot of success in the past, and hopefully we can continue that,” he said.

Paul joins a team that was the youngest in coach Gregg Popovich’s tenure as head coach, with an average age of 23.5.

He made it clear he didn’t come to the Spurs to “coach” but rather to win and find a place where he can start and contribute. 

However, he did say he embraces the challenges of mentoring young players  “very seriously.” 

And seeing how much the fans have supported the young Spurs in recent years and the championship teams in the past, he feels he does not have to rally the fan support much.

“I don’t even need to get these fans any type of message, honestly. They seen greatness around here for a long time. Some hard-fought playoff series here,” he said. “So, with the young talent that they have here already, they know how to support a team.”

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Paul played with the Warriors last season, appearing in 58 games. He averaged 9.2 points, 6.8 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 26.4 minutes. He finished the season with the second-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA at 5.17. 

His years of experience will help advance the player and team’s development, even if he isn’t with the Spurs until the rebuild concludes.

But while he is a Spur, he is asking Silver and Black fans to excuse him for what he needs to do on the court. He will do whatever it takes to win next season.

“Don’t hold it against me how I act on the court and how I am in real life,” he said. “I am two totally different people. I just hate to lose.”

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