Chris Paul
Christopher Emmanuel "Chris" Paul (born May 6, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA.
Paul was born and raised in North Carolina. Despite only playing two varsity basketball seasons in high school, he was a McDonald's All-American and accepted a scholarship with nearby Wake Forest University. After his sophomore year with the Demon Deacons, he declared for the draft. Since being selected 4th overall in the 2005 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Hornets, Paul has been an NBA Rookie of the Year (2006), a six-time All-Star, an All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP), and a multiple-time All-NBA and All-Defensive team honoree. He led the Hornets to the second round of the 2008 NBA Playoffs. He has also won two Olympic gold medals with the United States national basketball team.
Off the court, Paul enjoys bowling and owns a franchise in the Professiona Bowlers Association (PBA) League. He has 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.
Early years
Chris Paul was born in Lewisville, North Carolina in 1985 as the second son of Charles Edward Paul and Robin Jones, two years after Charles "C.J." Paul in 1983. Charles and Robin were childhood friends who grew up in Winston-Salem and were members of Dreamland Park Baptist before marrying in 1982. A former athlete himself, Charles taught his sons the games of basketball and football and coached them in various youth events throughout their childhood. Paul was a gifted athlete, going to the national Pop Warner football championships as a quarterback and linebacker on the Lewisville Titans Junior Pee Wee team, and winning several 14U AAU national tournaments in basketball.
Besides athletics, the Paul brothers spent their summers operating the cash register, rotating tires and changing air filters at Jones Chevron, a service station owned by their grandfather Nathanial Jones on their mother Robin's side. Affectionately known as "Papa Chilly" throughout the community, Jones had operated the station, the first such African-American-operated service station in North Carolina since 1964 during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Paul describes his grandfather as "his best friend" and credits many life lessons to him.
High school
In 1999, Paul began attending West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, North Carolina, where C.J. was already a star junior at point guard. Despite Paul's talent, he was at a significant disadvantage due to his 5 ft 0 in (1.52 m) stature. Paul opted to play on the JV basketball team his freshman and sophomore years, believing that the opportunity to gain confidence and experience on the JV would be more beneficial than sitting on the bench on varsity. Meanwhile, Paul grew to 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m) by his sophomore year.
By the time Paul had ascended to the varsity squad as a junior, C.J. had graduated. The Paul brothers only ended up playing on the court for 15 seconds together at the end of a playoff game in Paul's sophomore year and C.J.'s senior year in 2001. Paul, who spurted another eight inches to 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m), posted 25.0 points, 5.3 assists and 4.4 steals per game to help West Forsyth (26–4) reach the state semifinals. Over the next summer, Paul emerged as a heavily recruited point guard. With his family watching, Paul signed his letter of intent to Wake Forest to play for coach Skip Prosser before his senior year. Only 13 miles away from where he grew up in Lewisville, Paul had already verbally committed to them during his junior year and attended many Demon Deacons practices and games. He then grew to 6 ft 1 in (1.85) in his adult years in College.
Tragically, only a day after signing his letter of intent, the body of Nathanial Jones was discovered by Paul's father. Jones died after being beaten and robbed by a group of teens as he unloaded groceries from his car in his driveway. Five teenagers tied Jones’ hands behind his back, taped his mouth, and beat him around the head and face. Jones, who had a history of heart trouble, lay in his carport and died from cardiac arhythmia. He was 61. Over 2,000 people honored the memories of Jones at his funeral four days later. The next day, fueled by the suggestion of an aunt, an emotionally devastated Paul scored 61 points in honor of his grandfather, one point for every year his grandfather lived, in West Forsyth's 2002–03 season opener.
Despite Paul's previous career high being 39 points, by halftime, he had racked up 32 points in 16 minutes. When Paul reached the 61-point mark late in the 4th quarter, he purposely airballed a free throw, then took himself out of the game to hug his family on the sidelines, even though the state high school scoring record of 66 points was well within reach. In 2003, Paul averaged 30.8 points, 9.5 assists, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.0 steals per game the remainder of his senior year and led his team to a 27–3 record and the Class 4A Eastern Regional finals. He was a 2003 McDonald's All-American and Jordan Brand Classic participant and was named North Carolina's Mr. Basketball for 2003 by The Charlotte Observer.
Summer circuit
Though he did not win a state championship while in high school, Paul did take the Winston-Salem-based Kappa Magic (alongside future University of North Carolina rival Reyshawn Terry), to the 2002 National U-17 AAU Championship over an All-Ohio team led by 2003 McDonald's All-American Drew Lavender, taking home the tournament's MVP award in the process.
College career
Paul attended Wake Forest University and played for the Demon Deacons for two seasons, leading the school to two NCAA Tournaments, including one Sweet Sixteen appearance. He was also part of the first #1 men's basketball team in school history. Paul was recruited by then-Demon Deacons head coach Skip Prosser, who only noticed the young point guard when Paul purposely bumped into him at an AAU tournament in Florida so he would take notice of him. In Paul's freshman year, he started and made an immediate impact. He was named the ACC Rookie of the Year, Third Team All-ACC, an All-American Honorable Mention, and National Freshman of the Year by several publications as he averaged 14.8 points and 5.9 assists a game and helped the Demon Deacons reach the Sweet Sixteen of the 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament before losing to St. Joseph's. Paul also broke five Wake Forest freshman records, three-point percentage, free throws, free throw percentage, assists and steals.
Paul also earned ACC All-Defensive Team honors during his time at Wake and was among the Consensus First Team All-Americans in his sophomore year. He was also a named to the 2005 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team with a 3.21 grade point average as a third-term selection. During the ACC post season tournament, Paul was suspended one game for punching NC State guard Julius Hodge in the groin in the final game of the regular season. By the time he declared for the 2005 NBA Draft as a sophomore, he had finished near the top of almost every offensive category at Wake Forest.
After his sophomore year, Paul declared for the 2005 NBA Draft. The Demon Deacons went 48–16 (.750) in games Chris Paul played in. Paul was ranked second among Wake Forest's all-time career leaders for 3-point shooting percentage (.469), and 7th in assists and steals.
On March 2, 2013, Paul's #3 jersey was officially retired during the Wake Forest-Maryland game and hung from the rafters at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
NBA career
New Orleans Hornets
2005–06: Rookie stardom
Paul was selected fourth overall by the New Orleans Hornets in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft. Due to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina that summer to the city of New Orleans, Paul did not play his first full season in New Orleans. Instead, the team played in various arenas and relocated to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Hornets only played three games in New Orleans Arena.
Paul led all rookies in points, assists, steals, and minutes, earning him the 2006 NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Paul was a near-unanimous winner for the award, but one voter (Ron Boone, television analyst for the Utah Jazz) gave Deron Williams his vote instead of Paul. This, along with the fact that both were taken back to back in the draft and play the same position, has led to an on-court rivalry between Paul and Williams.[18] Their rivalry began on December 1, 2004 when Paul led his No. 1-ranked Wake Forest into Champaign to face Williams' Illini. Illinois thrashed the Demon Deacons 91–73 and took the top spot from there into their run to the 2005 NCAA Championship Game. Williams had 8 points and 11 assists while Paul was held to 10 points.
Paul finished the 2005–06 season averaging 16.1 points, 7.8 assists, and 5.1 rebounds. He was also the only unanimous selection to the 2005–06 NBA All Rookie First Team and was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month every month in the 2005–06 season. After the season, Paul won the ESPY Award for Best Breakthrough Athlete. He recorded his first triple-double on April 2, 2006 against the Toronto Raptors with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists.
2006–07 season
Paul followed up his impressive rookie campaign with a solid sophomore season. He improved his scoring average to 17.3 points, and improved his assists average with 8.9 per game. He averaged 4.4 rebounds per game. Paul's season was riddled with injuries though, as he was limited to playing in only 64 games.
Paul was not named an All-Star in 2007, but he was named to replace Steve Nash in the 2007 PlayStation Skills Challenge during All-Star Weekend. He played in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and dished out 17 assists and had 9 steals, both T-Mobile Rookie Challenge records. When interviewed during the Rookie Challenge, Paul vowed that he would be an All-Star next season, as the All-Star Game would be held in New Orleans.
2007–08 season
The 2007–08 season brought the full return of the Hornets to the city of New Orleans. Emerging as a true superstar, Paul averaged 21.1 points and 4 rebounds, and led the NBA in steals with 2.71 per game and assists with 11.6 per game. He was selected by NBA coaches to play in the 2008 NBA All-Star Game which was hosted by the city of New Orleans, thereby fulfilling his vow from the previous season. Paul's teammate David West was named as an All-Star reserve and Hornets coach Byron Scott coached the Western Conference All-Stars. During All-Star Weekend, Paul participated again in the 2008 All-Star PlayStation Skills Challenge winning the first round but losing in the final round to Deron Williams. Paul sparked a 4th quarter comeback for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game, but the East held on to win 134–128. He finished the game with 16 points, 14 assists and 5 steals.
Paul continued his stellar play following the All Star game, leading the New Orleans Hornets to one of the best records in the West. After a 37 point, 13 assist, and 3 steal performance by Paul against the Chicago Bulls on March 17, 2008, Paul led a 4th quarter comeback win, the Hornets ascended to the top of the standings in the Western Conference. On April 4, 2008, Chris Paul helped the Hornets clinch a playoff spot for the first time since the 2003–04 season. The Hornets ultimately finished the season with a 56–26 record, the best record in team history, and finished #2 overall in the NBA Western Conference standings. Paul ended the season leading the NBA with 11.6 assists and 2.71 steals per game, and registered a steal in all 80 games he played in.
In Paul's first NBA playoff game against the Dallas Mavericks, he scored 35 points, with 24 coming in the second half, along with 10 assists and 4 steals. In Game 2, he scored 32 points and set a franchise playoff-record 17 assists, leading the Hornets to a 127–103 victory to go 2–0 against Dallas. After splitting Games 3 and 4 in Dallas, the Hornets eliminated the Mavericks, 4–1, in Game 5 for their first ever playoff series victory behind a 24 point, 11 rebound, and 15 assist performance from Paul.
He finished second in MVP voting, behind Kobe Bryant, who beat him with a margin of 306 votes. He was selected for the All-NBA First Team, 3 votes shy of a unanimous choice.
Paul reached an agreement on a three-year extension with the Hornets with a player option with a fourth year, with a total value of $68 million.
2008–09 season
For the second season in a row Paul finished the season as the league leader in assists and steals. He also scored a career best 22.8 points per game on a career best percentage of 50.3%. Paul participated in his second NBA All Star Game starting for the Western Conference All Stars. On December 17, 2008, against the San Antonio Spurs, Paul broke Alvin Robertson's 22-year-old NBA record by registering at least one steal in 106 consecutive games. The new record reached 108 consecutive games before ending on Christmas Day against the Orlando Magic. On January 26, Paul collected 27 points, 10 rebounds, 15 assists and seven steals against the Philadelphia 76ers, becoming the only player in NBA history to reach those statistical numbers in an NBA game.
After the season, Paul was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Team first team, and the All-NBA second team. He was also fifth in the 2009 MVP voting, receiving two first place votes and a total of 192 points.
2009–10 season
After a 3–6 start to the season, the New Orleans Hornets fired Scott on November 12 and replaced him with general manager Jeff Bower, who has been involved with the franchise since 1995. Paul stirred controversy by announcing his displeasure with the move and thought the team management should have "consulted with me and asked how I felt before it happened", but clarified that he didn't expect to be asked to give approval. The next day, Paul suffered a left ankle sprain against the Portland Trail Blazers that resulted in eight missed games as the Hornets went 4–4. Once Paul returned on December 9, New Orleans won 18 of their next 28 games, including a six-game winning streak. He earned his third All-Star appearance as a reserve guard, finishing third with 1,055,789 votes behind Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash. In early February, an MRI revealed a torn meniscus in Paul's left knee after it was tweaked in two consecutive games in late January. On February 4, he underwent arthroscopic surgery performed by renowned sports physician James Andrew in Florida. Sidelined for nearly eight weeks, Paul, who was averaging 20.4 points and an NBA-best 11.2 assists, missed 25 Hornets games and the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, where his reserve spot was filled by Denver Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups. On March 22, Paul returned to action since January 29 against the Chicago Bulls, and was inserted in the starting lineup for the game against the Dallas Mavericks, moving Darren Collison out of the starting lineup, who started at point guard during Paul's absence.
2010–11 season
The 2010–11 season was another All-Star selection season for Paul, making it his 4th consecutive. On March 6, 2011 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Paul collided with Cavalier player Ramon Sessions and had to be carried off by stretcher after lying motionless on the ground. He missed 2 straight games. In his return on March 12, 2011 against the Sacramento Kings, he scored a season high 33 points, and had 15 assists, 7 rebounds and 5 steals in the Hornets' 37th win of the season.
The Hornets finished the year with 46 wins to qualify as the seventh seed in the playoffs, where they would meet the defending two-time NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. Paul had a historic performance in the series, averaging 22 points on 54.5 percent shooting, 11.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 6.7 rebounds per game, though the Hornets fell to the heavily favored Lakers in six games. Notable performances from Paul included a game 1 win in LA, where he had 33 points, 14 assists, 7 rebounds and 4 steals, and a game 4 win in New Orleans, where Paul had 27 points, 15 assists, 13 rebounds and 2 steals.
Once the NBA resumed operations after the 2011 lockout, the Hornets, now owned by the NBA after acquiring the financially strapped team from George Shinn during the 2010–11 season, actively pursued trading Paul. He would be eligible to opt-out of his contract and sign elsewhere following the 2011–12 season. As a result, the Hornets did not want to risk losing Paul without getting equitable compensation in return.
Los Angeles Clippers
2011–12 season
On December 8, 2011, the New Orleans Hornets, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets agreed to a trade that would send Paul to Los Angeles. NBA commissioner David Stern nullified the trade, saying the Hornets were better off keeping Paul than accepting the terms of the deal. The league had acquired the Hornets from former owner George Shinn, and the commissioner's office has final authority over all management decisions. The three teams involved in the trade attempted to lobby the league to reverse its ruling as well as reconstruct the deal that would satisfy the league, only to met by resistance from the league, who wanted the Hornets to receive young players and draft picks. Later, the Lakers pulled out of the trade talk. On December 12, the Hornets and the Los Angeles Clippers agreed to a trade that sent Paul to Los Angeles for Chris Kaman, Eric Bledsoe and Al-Farouq Aminu, but the Clippers pulled out of the talks after the Hornets asked, at the league's direction, to also include Eric Gordon and the Minnesota Timberwolves' first round pick in the 2012 draft. Two days later, on December 14, the two teams finally made the trade, sending Paul and two future second round draft picks to the Clippers for Gordon, rather than Bledsoe, as well as Kaman, Aminu, and the Minnesota Timberwolves' unprotected first round pick in the 2012 draft. Following the trade, Paul promised to "opt-in" to the final year of his contract, essentially guaranteeing he would be a member of the Clippers for at least two seasons, and implied he would like to remain in Los Angeles long term.
In his first regular season game as a Los Angeles Clipper, Paul recorded 20 points, 2 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals in a 105–86 win over the Golden State Warriors. He was selected as a starter for the 2012 All-Star Game.[ He also became the first Clipper to be named to the All-NBA First Team since the Clippers had moved to Los Angeles.
On August 21, 2012, Paul underwent surgery for a ligament tear to his right thumb that occurred prior to the 2012 Olympic Games, during the training camp for the games. Nevertheless, he was a starter in all eight Olympic games.
2012–13 season
In the 2012–13 season, he was a starter in the 2013 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP after scoring 20 points with 15 assists. Paul finished the season averaging 16.9 points and 9.7 assists. The Clippers clinched the 4th seed in the Western Conference with a 56-26 record, but were eliminated in the first round by the Memphis Grizzlies. After the season, the Clippers did not renew the contract of head coach Vinny Del Negro. Paul, who was scheduled to become a free agent during the offseason, was upset that the team publicly suggested that he forced Del Negro out and allowed the rumors to persist. The Clippers later denied any player involvement in the coaching decision.
Following the conclusion of the season, Paul became an unrestricted free agent. On July 1, 2013, Paul announced his intention to remain with the Clippers, an agreement that later became official with his signing of a new deal for five years, worth $107.3 million, on July 10, 2013.
NBA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Led the league |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005–06 | New Orleans/Oklahoma City | 78 | 78 | 36.0 | .430 | .282 | .847 | 5.1 | 7.8 | 2.2 | .1 | 16.1 |
| 2006–07 | New Orleans/Oklahoma City | 64 | 64 | 36.8 | .437 | .350 | .818 | 4.4 | 8.9 | 1.8 | .0 | 17.3 |
| 2007–08 | New Orleans | 80 | 80 | 37.6 | .488 | .369 | .851 | 4.0 | 11.6 | 2.7 | .1 | 21.1 |
| 2008–09 | New Orleans | 78 | 78 | 38.5 | .503 | .364 | .868 | 5.5 | 11.0 | 2.8 | .1 | 22.8 |
| 2009–10 | New Orleans | 45 | 45 | 38.0 | .493 | .409 | .847 | 4.2 | 10.7 | 2.1 | .2 | 18.7 |
| 2010–11 | New Orleans | 80 | 80 | 36.0 | .463 | .388 | .878 | 4.1 | 9.8 | 2.4 | .1 | 15.8 |
| 2011–12 | Los Angeles Clippers | 60 | 60 | 36.4 | .478 | .371 | .861 | 3.6 | 9.1 | 2.5 | .1 | 19.8 |
| 2012–13 | Los Angeles Clippers | 70 | 70 | 33.4 | .481 | .328 | .885 | 3.7 | 9.7 | 2.4 | .1 | 16.9 |
| Career | 555 | 555 | 36.5 | .473 | .356 | .858 | 4.4 | 9.8 | 2.4 | .1 | 18.6 | |
| All-Star | 5 | 4 | 28.6 | .519 | .500 | .800 | 3.8 | 12.4 | 3.4 | .0 | 13.6 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | New Orleans | 12 | 12 | 40.5 | .502 | .238 | .785 | 4.9 | 11.3 | 2.3 | .2 | 24.1 |
| 2009 | New Orleans | 5 | 5 | 40.2 | .411 | .313 | .857 | 4.4 | 10.4 | 1.6 | .0 | 16.6 |
| 2011 | New Orleans | 6 | 6 | 41.5 | .545 | .474 | .796 | 6.7 | 11.5 | 1.8 | .0 | 22.0 |
| 2012 | Los Angeles Clippers | 11 | 11 | 38.5 | .427 | .333 | .872 | 5.1 | 7.9 | 2.7 | .1 | 17.6 |
| 2013 | Los Angeles Clippers | 6 | 6 | 37.3 | .533 | .316 | .892 | 4.0 | 6.3 | 1.8 | .0 | 22.8 |
| Career | 40 | 40 | 39.6 | .482 | .333 | .828 | 5.0 | 9.5 | 2.2 | .1 | 20.9 | |
Triple-doubles
| Number | Date | Opponent | Box Score | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 2, 2006 | at Toronto Raptors | W 120-103 | 24 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2 | April 5, 2006 | Golden State Warriors | W 114-109 | 17 | 11 | 16 | 6 | 0 | |
| 3 | December 1, 2006 | Chicago Bulls | L 108-111 | 25 | 11 | 18 | 5 | 1 | |
| 4 | April 6, 2008 | Golden State Warriors | W 108-96 | 16 | 10 | 13 | 5 | 0 | |
| 5 (PO) | April 29, 2008 | Dallas Mavericks | W 99-94 | 24 | 11 | 15 | 2 | 0 | |
| 6 | November 22, 2008 | Oklahoma City Thunder | W 109-97 | 29 | 10 | 16 | 3 | 1 | |
| 7 | November 24, 2008 | at Los Angeles Clippers | W 109-97 | 14 | 10 | 17 | 1 | 1 | |
| 8 | December 30, 2008 | Washington Wizards | W 97-85 | 15 | 10 | 16 | 1 | 0 | |
| 9 | January 14, 2009 | at Dallas Mavericks | W 104-97 | 33 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 0 | |
| 10 | January 26, 2009 | Philadelphia 76ers | W 101-86 | 27 | 10 | 15 | 7 | 1 | |
| 11 | March 11, 2009 | at Washington Wizards | W 109-98 | 30 | 10 | 13 | 4 | 0 | |
| 12 | December 29, 2009 | at Houston Rockets | L 100-108 | 16 | 11 | 10 | 2 | 2 | |
| 13 (PO) | April 24, 2011 | Los Angeles Lakers | W 93-88 | 27 | 13 | 15 | 2 | 0 |