OKC Thunder: Chris Paul making movie about the night COVID-19 shut down the NBA

OKC Thunder captain Chris Paul next movie project features – The night COVID-19 shut down the NBA

If there is a player in the NBA with more than his fair share of juggling balls in the air it’s OKC Thunder captain Chris Paul. Much of that is due to his second role as NBPA  president.

Although that position typically requires his concerted effort the combination of the coronavirus pandemic and the emphasis on shifting social justice reform have required his full-time attention.

While it’s easy to get caught up in all his efforts with the NBPA working as the conduit to multiple stakeholders we’d be remiss to ignore the fact he is also a core component of the OKC Thunder.

Some would argue it’s his addition specifically which has pushed the club over the top into the clutch time killer crew they’ve melded into. A club by the way that was about to play a match on March 11th against the Utah Jazz where a win would’ve moved them into the fourth seed.

Instead, the game was halted and earmarked the date sports stopped.

Chris Paul making a movie about the night the NBA stopped

Speaking to Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles of the Knuckleheads podcast, Chris Paul talked about that fateful night of March 11th.

Paul shared details on that night in what was the catalyst for the domino effect that before the night ended would lead to the NBA season suspension.

Like many of the fan base, Richardson and Miles were watching and noted seeing Paul approach Joe Ingles at center court to ask where Rudy (Gobert) was.

Even after nearly four months, the events of March 11th remain confounding for Paul who explained his feelings at the moment.

"It was crazy, and I tell you a little bit about it, but to tell you the truth it’s crazy man I’m doing a documentary about it, like a movie, like a movie about a sports stop with Antoine Fuqua and Brian Grazer.  We doing a whole thing about that like getting perspectives from athletes of what happened.Man, listen, I ain’t never seen nothing like it. Never seen nothing like it."

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This isn’t Paul’s first foray into film or bringing content to the screen. He helped produce the docuseries ‘Blackballed‘. The series ran on the mobile platform Quibi last month. Blackballed offered insight into the five day period of 2014 when the Clippers considered boycotting playoff games in the midst of Donald Sterling’s racist rant that was leaked to the public

Over his 15-year career, Paul has dealt with his fair share of drama but this event ranks among the most unusual.

"And you know like we talked about all the different stuff I’ve been through – like I’ve been through the nixed trade, you know Hurrican Katrina, the Sterling stuff all that and then boom, what you say “come back to the locker room’ like – what –what’s going on? What’s happening? We ain’t starting the game? Like that, that right there was different – – different."

Both teams eventually left the court for their respective locker rooms while fans were asked to depart the arena. The OKC Thunder squad was tested for fever and then sent home but the Jazz was delayed for hours awaiting more intensive COVID-19 tests. Paul sent beer and wine to the visitor’s locker room as a gesture to help them pass the time as they awaited testing.

For the Thunder captain, this night was marked by further unusual circumstances since none of his family members were in the city.

"And what made it crazy is I was in town by myself.  So, you all know like I live in Oklahoma by myself, my wife and my kids in LA? But usually, my brother is at least in town, my cousin is at least in town or my parents or something, but nobody, nobody. I was there by myself."

As it turns out CP3 didn’t spend the entire night alone, as his young teammates employed his services elsewhere. That night was when he made his infamous cameo appearance in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Darius Bazley‘s TikTok video.

"They got me in the video with them, let me tell you cause that TikTok was actually that night that the league stopped. Literally, Baz and Shai like they be over at my place all the time right if it just dinner or if we on the road, we always together man.  Shoot, I got more TikTok’s in the archive man."

Undoubtedly, March 11th will be remembered as the day sports stopped in North America. Early indications are the film will bear a title similar to that effect (The Day Sports Stood Still). With heavy-hitters like Fuqua and Glazer involved the film will presumably be on a grander scale than the previous film projects by Paul.

For now, fans await the resumption of the NBA season and the hope for the coronavirus curve to flatten so everyone in our communities is safe.

Check out the entire Knuckleheads podcast above as it’s one of the best in the Richardson and Miles library on The Players Tribune.