Who is the player who won the most steals? Not Stockton, but Paul

On July 11, in the NBA's historical scroll, stealing data has always been an important indicator for measuring defenders' defensive ability. When it comes to steals, many fans will first think of John Stockton, the legendary Jazz point guard ranked first in the historical steals with 3,265 steals. However, in terms of the number of steals in a single season, Stockton's two (1989, 1992) are far less than the brilliant achievements of another active point guard: Chris Paul. As of 2025, the veteran, known as the "God of Point Guard" has been crowned the steal king six times (2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014), becoming the player with the most honors in NBA history.

###The perfect combination of talent and technology: Paul's steal art

Paul's steal does not rely on physical quality to crush, but integrates prediction, timing and defensive consciousness to the extreme. At only 1.83 meters tall, he has formed a unique "death-wrapped" defense with his amazing arm span (1.94 meters) and lightning-like hand speed. Paul averaged more than 2.7 steals per game for three consecutive years during the Hornets (now Pelicans), of which he averaged more than 2.77 steals per game in the 2008-09 season. His defensive wisdom is reflected in his accurate prediction of the passing route. According to statistics, 31% of his steals in his career came from intercepting cross-passes, which is far beyond the league average.

Unlike Stockton's style of team defense, Paul is better at one-on-one life breaks. In the first round of the 2014 playoff series against the Warriors, he completely locked Curry in seven steals in a single game, staged a textbook-level outside defense. The reason why the "All-Chain" in the Clippers era was closely related to the defensive system led by Paul. In the 2012-13 season, when he was on the court, the team lost 8.3 points per 100 rounds, which even surpassed the best defensive player of the same period, Tony Allen.

###The Paradox of the King of Historical Stealing: Stockton's "Total Myth"

Stockton's record of total steals is one of the most difficult milestones in the NBA. He averaged 2.17 steals per game in his 19-year career, including 17 seasons, and this terrifying stability has resulted in a total of 3,265 steals. However, in-depth analysis shows that his number of steals is far from Paul's, mainly because of the differences in his defensive strategies: the Jazz system emphasizes Stockton's role as a defensive hub, and he creates steal opportunities through position interference and team collaboration rather than personal assault defense. When the Western Conference Finals were against the Rockets in 1997, Stockton gave 24 steals in a single series, but the highest in the regular season was only 3.21 times (1988-89 season). This "team first" style limited his frequency of competing for the steal king.

, Paul's defense is more aggressive. From 2008 to 2014, he was like the storm of the outside defense, averaging 2.5 steals per game in 5 games in 6 years, and also included a shocking record of 108 consecutive steals. This continuous high-pressure defense has increased the average turnovers per game by 23% when facing him by the top point guards such as Deron Williams and Nash.

### Active Player Chasing: Who could challenge Paul's record? Among the active players, new generation defensive players such as OG Anunobi of the Raptors and Desmond Bain of the Grizzlies have shown their potential, but there is still a gap between the level of the steal king. The closest one is Thunder's Shea Gilgers Alexander, who was crowned the steal king for the first time with 2.3 steals per game in the 2023-24 season, but his technical characteristics tend to use long arms to cover the defensive area, lacking Paul's precise prediction ability. Historical data shows that to surpass Paul's six steals, players need to maintain top-level defensive output for at least eight seasons at their peak - an almost impossible task in today's era of load management prevailing. The mark of the times behind the data

Paul's steal dominance also reflects the evolution of NBA's defensive philosophy. The league has not modified the "Hand-checking" rules in the mid-2000s to allow more physical contact from outside defenders, which creates conditions for Paul's early steal breakouts. After 2010, with the rise of the three-point wave, defenders need to cover a larger range, which instead highlights the value of precise attacks in his small space. Interestingly, after the rules further encouraged the offense in 2016, Paul, 35, was still able to contribute 1.4 steals per game with the Suns, proving the universality of his technology.

Looking back at history, Iverson won the steal king three times, and Michael Jordan followed closely behind with three times, but none of them could form a long-term monopoly like Paul. When Paul, 38, gave five steals in a single game in the Warriors' playoffs in 2023, people were shocked to realize that this seemingly thin point guard had already used his lightning-fast hands to engrave an indelible mark in the history of NBA defense. Perhaps players will hit Stockton's total steal record in the future, but the 6 steals champion will probably become a historical lone that will be sealed forever, just like Chamberlain's 100 points.