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NBA star Chris Paul speaks to Alabama ahead of 2024 season

IMG_0985by:Griffin McVeigh•08/20/24•

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Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer
Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer (Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY Sports)

Kalen DeBoer has carried over many traditions from the Nick Saban era. One of them seemingly is the high-profile speakers Saban would bring into the building just before the season began. Most of them turn out to be from the sports world and recently, DeBoer got a big-name guest.

San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul was in Mal Moore Facility on Tuesday, speaking to Alabama. Paul was described as an “NBA legend” thanks to all of the individual accolades earned throughout his career.

While no video was released, four photos were shared by the official Alabama Football X account. Two were Paul in the middle of his speech, while the first one was a conversation he was having in DeBoer’s new office. Finally, Paul and quarterback Jalen Milroe appeared to get some one-on-one time.

You can check out the photos posted by Alabama Football here.

On top of the accomplishments mentioned in the tweet, Paul is a four-time member of the All-NBA team. His career began in 2006 after coming out of Wake Forest, playing for a handful of organizations. San Antonio is just the latest after most recently being with the Phoenix Suns. New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Houston have also been places where Paul has called home.

This will be Paul’s 20th season in the NBA. Only LeBron James has more games played of active players currently in the league. Alabama is hoping a professional such as Paul can hand out some wisdom before the college football regular season gets underway for them on Aug. 31 against Western Kentucky.

Alabama names captains for 2024 season

In a twist, Alabama released its team captains for the 2024 campaign on Tuesday. The team captains are quarterback Jalen Milroe, linebacker Deontae Lawson, offensive lineman Tyler Booker and defensive back Malachi Moore.

When Nick Saban was the head coach of the Crimson Tide, the program named its captains after the regular season concluded. Different players would be named captains on a weekly basis during the season. However, this decision appears to be another sign of changing times in Tuscaloosa.

In addition to being leaders, Alabama’s captains participate in the coin toss before games. They are also celebrated on the UA campus, as every spring, their hand and cleat prints are immortalized in cement in the shadow of Denny Chimes, along with all of the past captains.

On3’s Grant Grubbs contributed to this report