'I'm so grateful for this organization': Suns star Chris Paul finds subtle way to pay tribute to OKC, Thunder

Chris Paul stuck his head down and stretched his hands out as he ran through the artificial tunnel created by his Suns teammates.

And while Paul ran low, the Thunder fans stood high, clapped their hands and cheered loudly for the All-Star guard who has repeatedly shown his gratitude for the OKC organization.

Paul received a warm welcome as he returned as an opposing player for the first time in front of the fans since being traded to Phoenix after the 2020 season. Even though the Suns wore orange and black, Paul stepped onto the floor with Thunder blue and orange sneakers, featuring a ‘Thank You OKC!!’ message handwritten in sharpie on the side of the heel.

“That was the color of my shoes that was going to be for that next season,” Paul said. “I didn’t know that I was going to get traded so that was just exactly what it said, ‘Thank you for my time here.'"

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Many fans may have come to see Paul's return, but they were greeted with more than just an opportunity to see him play. Oklahoma City beat the NBA-leading Suns 117-96 at Paycom Center on Sunday night. Paul turned in 11 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in the loss, but he heard the ovation from the crowd before the opening tip.

“I’m so grateful for this organization, for the fans here,” Paul said. “Not only did I start my career here and win Rookie of the Year here, I got to play a season here after Houston and it was one of the most memorable seasons I’ve probably had in my 17-year career.”

Paul began his career in Oklahoma City after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 displaced the New Orleans Hornets.

Paul returned to OKC via a trade in the summer of 2019 that included Russell Westbrook heading to the Houston Rockets.

A rejuvenated Paul then led the Thunder to fifth place in the Western Conference with a 44-28 record and within an eyelash of the second round of the playoffs, losing Game 7 of a first-round series to the Rockets in the NBA bubble in Orlando, Florida.

During his lone season with the Thunder, Paul averaged 17.6 points, 6.7 assists and 5.0 rebounds and played in the NBA All-Star Game, his first All-Star selection since 2016.

And although he was an All-Star his leadership also played a pivotal role in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort and many of the other young Thunder players in their early years in the NBA. Darius Bazley and Mike Muscala greeted Paul with a handshake at the scorers' table before the opening tip.

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“That year I played in Oklahoma City is something I’ll never forget,” Paul told The Athletic in January. “That was my first year living away from my family. The relationship I got with my teammates and fans. The fans were amazing. I always hate that that season got cut short because of COVID-19. That was a big season, big summer for me, going through things I hadn’t gone through since I’d been in the league.”

Paul led the Suns to the NBA Finals last season for the first time in his illustrious career. But after the Suns took a 2-0 series lead, the Milwaukee Bucks stormed back to win the championship 4-2 behind outstanding play from Giannis Antetokounmpo and company.

Now, the Suns are just one game shy of earning their most wins ever in the regular season. Phoenix is tied at 62 wins with the 1992-93 team led by Charles Barkley and the 2004-05 team led by Steve Nash. But with Devin Booker, Jae Crowder, Deandre Ayton and other Suns members sitting out on Sunday, the Thunder kept the Suns from reaching the milestone.

“Chris just plays the game the way he typically plays it,” Suns coach Monty Williams said about Paul after Sunday’s loss. “He probably would’ve had 20 assists had we knocked down some shots. I think he’d be the first one to say as a group we just didn’t play well and he would lump himself into that. But I know he has an affinity for this place and he would’ve wanted to play a lot better than we did tonight.”

James D. Jackson covers high school sports across the Oklahoma City metro and state. Have a story idea for James? He can be reached at jjackson@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @JamesDJackson15. Support James' work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Phoenix Suns' Chris Paul 'grateful' for time with OKC, Thunder