Suns' Chris Paul: I'm 'Hard' to Play With If We Don't Have Same Mindset

Chris Paul knows he doesn't have a reputation for being easy to play with, and he's learned to embrace his competitive nature as his career has progressed.

"It's hard, probably, to play with me, to be my teammate, because a lot of times I have a one-track mind and that is to compete," Paul told Ryan Clark on The Pivot. "And if you not on that same energy, then it's going to be hard. It's gonna be hard for us to get along."

The Suns are Paul's fifth NBA team, and aside from his one-year sojourn to Oklahoma City, Phoenix has been his most harmonious situation. Paul said he and co-star Devin Booker get along due to their similarly competitive mindsets, which has allowed them to set the tone for the team.

Previous stops with the then-New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets saw Paul develop a reputation as an unforgiving teammate who would often rankle players—often times in his own locker room. Paul and Blake Griffin famously clashed at times during their time together, only for Paul to later regret some of his own actions as his relationship with James Harden fell apart in Houston.

While his competitive drive played a major part in Paul overcoming below-average height and non-elite athleticism to build a Hall of Fame resume, it sometimes reared its head in ugly ways—at times directly leading to playoff shortcomings. The 38-year-old did not reach his first NBA Finals until 2021, which came after several blown playoff series leads with him at the helm.

Several former teammates have criticized Paul's leadership style in the past, and even teammates who are complimentary have called him an "acquired taste."

As Paul's NBA career winds down, it seems like he's comfortable with the legacy he's left as a teammate—even if it's ruffled some feathers along the way.