Oklahoma City Thunder Chris Paul has emerged as one of the most prominent figures in the entire league over the past few months, with the veteran exhibiting his leadership amidst the tense socio-political climate in the nation. Things reached a boiling point following the shooting of Jacob Blake on Sunday, which led to the Milwaukee Bucks boycotting their game against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.

Paul recently opened up about how proud he is to have been part of that experience:

“Fifteen years in this league and I've never seen a thing like it,” Paul said, via Ben Spratt of Sporting News. “Honestly. I wasn't the oldest one in the room — I think Udonis Haslem was — but the voices that were heard, I'll never forget it, I'll never forget it.

“For a lot of us, you get a chance to read and see pictures of the Cleveland Summit, those who came before us, the Muhammad Alis, the Jim Browns, the Kareem Abdul-Jabbars, and how powerful they were. We're not saying that we're that, but what we're doing in our league right now is huge.”

Wednesday turned out to be a landmark in sports, with the WNBA, the MLS, and the MLB all following suit by suspending all games scheduled on the day.

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Paul then expressed how important this milestone is for the younger generation in the NBA, as the old guards such as Paul pass the baton to them.

“I think for the young guys in our league, they get a chance to see how guys are really coming together and speaking and see real change, real action,” he added. “Because guys are tired. Like, I mean, tired. When I say ‘tired,' we're not physically tired, we're just tired of seeing the same thing over and over again, right?”

With the season now back on track, Paul and the Thunder are set to face off against the Houston Rockets on Saturday in Game 5 of their first-round matchup. The series is currently tied at 2-2, so it goes without saying that Game 5 will be a pivotal contest between these two sides.