Widely regarded as one of the greatest point guards of all time, Paul has won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, an NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award, two Olympic gold medals, and led the NBA in assists five times and steals a record six times.
63 Facts About Chris Paul
2.
Chris Paul has been selected to twelve NBA All-Star teams, eleven All-NBA teams, and nine NBA All-Defensive teams.
3.
Chris Paul served as the president of the National Basketball Players Association from 2013 to 2021.
4.
Chris Paul was a McDonald's All-American in high school and attended Wake Forest University for two years of college basketball, where he helped the Demon Deacons achieve their first-ever number-one ranking.
5.
Chris Paul was selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft by the New Orleans Hornets, where he developed into one of the league's best players, finishing second in NBA Most Valuable Player Award voting in 2008.
6.
Chris Paul was instead dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers later that year.
7.
Chris Paul played one more season in Houston before being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of a package for Russell Westbrook in 2019.
8.
Chris Paul was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to Charles Edward Paul and Robin Jones.
9.
Chris Paul's family gave him the nickname "CP3" because he, his father, and his brother all share the same initials.
10.
Chris Paul attended West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, North Carolina.
11.
Chris Paul was ultimately named a McDonald's All-American, first-team Parade All-American, and North Carolina's Mr Basketball by The Charlotte Observer.
12.
On January 15,2005, Chris Paul registered 26 points and 8 assists in a victory over rival North Carolina, and on February 3, he scored 23 points in a win against rival Duke.
13.
In 2021, Chris Paul was inducted into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame.
14.
Chris Paul was selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft by the New Orleans Hornets.
15.
Chris Paul finished his debut season leading all rookies in total points, assists, steals, and double-doubles, and became only the second rookie in NBA history to lead the league in total steals.
16.
The only other rookie to receive a first place vote was Deron Williams, with whom Chris Paul enjoyed a brief rivalry early in their careers.
17.
At the 2007 All-Star Weekend, Chris Paul set new Rookie Challenge records with 17 assists and 9 steals.
18.
Chris Paul led the NBA with 11.6 assists and 2.7 steals per game to go along with 21.1 points per game, finishing second in NBA Most Valuable Player Award voting and being named to his first All-NBA and All-Defensive teams.
19.
The Hornets defeated the Mavericks in five games, with Chris Paul registering 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 15 assists in the final game.
20.
Chris Paul returned two games later, registering 33 points and 15 assists against the Sacramento Kings.
21.
In Game 1, Chris Paul contributed 33 points, 14 assists, and 4 steals, and in Game 4, he registered 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 15 assists.
22.
Nevertheless, New Orleans were eliminated in six games, and ownership, fearing that Chris Paul would leave the franchise via free agency, began actively pursuing a trade that would provide the team equitable compensation in return for his services.
23.
Chris Paul finished the year averaging 19.8 points, 9.1 assists, and 2.5 steals per game, becoming the first Clipper to be named to the All-NBA First Team since the franchise moved to Los Angeles in the 1980s.
24.
At the 2013 All-Star Game, Chris Paul led the West to victory with a 20-point and 15 assist performance, earning his first NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award.
25.
Chris Paul finished the season averaging 16.9 points, 9.7 assists, and 2.4 steals per game, helping the Clippers to a franchise-record 56 wins.
26.
Shortly after their early postseason exit, the Clippers announced they would not renew coach Vinny Del Negro's contract and rumors arose of Chris Paul forcing Del Negro out.
27.
In Game 4, Chris Paul broke his hand and was ruled out indefinitely.
28.
At season's end, Chris Paul was not rewarded with an All-NBA honor, marking just the second time he failed to make an All-NBA team since 2008 and the first time in his six years as a Clipper.
29.
On June 28,2017, Chris Paul was traded to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Patrick Beverley, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, Darrun Hilliard, DeAndre Liggins, Lou Williams, Kyle Wiltjer, a future first round pick, and cash considerations.
30.
Chris Paul, who was interested in playing alongside superstar guard James Harden, opted into the final year of his existing contract to facilitate the trade.
31.
Chris Paul scored only four points on 2-for-9 shooting and sat on the bench down the stretch while the Rockets made their final push.
32.
In Game 5 of the series, Chris Paul scored a career playoff-high 41 points along with eight three-pointers, 10 assists, and seven rebounds en route to a series-clinching victory over the Jazz.
33.
However, Chris Paul injured his hamstring late in the game, and with him out for the remainder of the series, Houston was eliminated from the postseason with back-to-back losses.
34.
Late in the season, Chris Paul found himself in the midst of a slump and Houston dropped down to the third seed in the conference, which prompted some analysts to wonder if Chris Paul had moved into a new, less effective phase of his career.
35.
On July 16,2019, the Rockets traded Chris Paul, two protected first-round draft picks, and two first-round pick swaps to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Russell Westbrook.
36.
Chris Paul endured an eight-day isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated, which caused him to miss the first two games of the Western Conference Finals.
37.
Chris Paul is just the fourth guard in NBA history to accomplish that feat.
38.
Chris Paul finished the game with 17 points and 13 assists.
39.
Chris Paul became the oldest player in NBA history to put up at least 30 points and 10 assists in a playoff game.
40.
Chris Paul joined John Stockton and Jason Kidd as the only players in NBA history with 11,000 assists.
41.
Chris Paul became the first player in the league with 20,000 points and 11,000 assists.
42.
On January 22,2023, Chris Paul returned to the lineup after missing the previous seven games with a hip injury.
43.
The next game, Chris Paul surpassed Michael Jordan for third on the NBA all-time career steals list.
44.
Chris Paul made his debut for the United States national team at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan.
45.
Chris Paul finished the competition with a tournament-high 44 assists, helping Team USA win the bronze medal in the process.
46.
Chris Paul was promoted to the starting point guard position for the 2012 Olympics in London, averaging 8.2 points, 5.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game en route to another gold medal and undefeated tournament.
47.
Chris Paul has earned All-NBA honors 11 times, All-Defensive honors nine times, and led the NBA in steals a record six times and in assists five times.
48.
Chris Paul prefers playing in the half court versus playing up-tempo.
49.
Chris Paul creates scoring opportunities by constantly changing speeds; upon beating his defender one-on-one or shedding him in the pick-and-roll, he will often slow down and box him out, denying him from regaining front side position and forcing the defense to help at all times.
50.
Chris Paul is regularly ranked as one of the highest-paid athletes in the world by Forbes.
51.
Chris Paul was the cover athlete for the video game NBA 2K8.
52.
Chris Paul was selected president of the National Basketball Players Association on August 21,2013, after having served on the executive committee for four years.
53.
Chris Paul was a key figure in the banning of Clippers owner Donald Sterling from the NBA following racist remarks Sterling made in 2014.
54.
In one interview, Chris Paul mentioned a possible boycott if Sterling continued to own the team.
55.
Chris Paul played a significant role in the election of Michele Roberts as the Executive Director of the Players Association, giving a strong recommendation to the executive committee responsible for filling the position.
56.
Chris Paul married his college sweetheart, Jada Crawley, on September 10,2011.
57.
On November 11,2011, Chris Paul appeared with his family on Family Feud.
58.
Chris Paul has hosted and participated in numerous celebrity and youth bowling events as the head of the CP3 Foundation, which benefits programs in Louisiana affected by Hurricane Katrina, as well as charities in Winston-Salem.
59.
In 2018, Chris Paul purchased a minority ownership stake in the Winston-Salem Dash, a minor league baseball team located in his hometown.
60.
Chris Paul is close friends with football player Reggie Bush; the two once lived in the One River Place complex in the New Orleans Central Business District while Bush was playing for the New Orleans Saints.
61.
Chris Paul has been a vegan since 2019 and is a brand ambassador for Beyond Meat.
62.
Chris Paul is in partnership with Gopuff, with the intentions to expand the latter's selection of plant-based foods and products, particularly those made and distributed by black- and brown-owned businesses.
63.
In December 2022, Chris Paul graduated from Winston-Salem State University with his bachelor's degree in communications.