Chris Paul

At 38 years old, Chris Paul has this physical status:

Christopher Emmanuel Paul (born May 6, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

He 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 four times and steals six times.

He has also been selected to nine NBA All-Star teams, eight All-NBA teams, and nine NBA All-Defensive teams. Paul was a McDonald's All-American in high school.

He attended Wake Forest University for two years of college basketball, where he helped the Demon Deacons achieve their first-ever number one ranking.

He was selected fourth overall in the 2005 NBA draft by the New Orleans Hornets, where he developed into one of the league's premier players, finishing second in NBA Most Valuable Player Award voting in 2008.

During the 2011 offseason, Paul was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, only for the transaction to be controversially voided by the NBA.

Later that summer, he was dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers instead.

Behind Paul's playmaking, the Clippers developed a reputation for their fast-paced offense and spectacular alley-oop dunks, earning them the nickname "Lob City".

In 2017, he was traded to the Houston Rockets, and helped the team win a franchise-record 65 games in his debut season.

He was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook on July 16, 2019. Off the court, Paul has served as the National Basketball Players Association president since August 2013.

One of the highest-paid athletes in the world, he holds endorsement deals with companies such as Nike and State Farm.

Early life

Chris Paul was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to Charles Edward Paul and Robin Jones. He grew up in Lewisville with his older brother, Charles "C.J." Paul. His family gave him the nickname "CP3" because he, his father, and his brother all share the same initials. A former athlete himself, Charles Sr. taught his sons basketball and football and coached them in various youth leagues throughout their childhoods. Growing up, the Paul brothers spent their summers working at a service station owned by their grandfather Nathanial Jones; Paul attributes many life lessons to his grandfather and has described him as his "best friend".

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High school career

Paul attended West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, North Carolina. He competed on the junior varsity team throughout his freshman and sophomore seasons. West Forsyth's junior season featured 25 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.4 steals per game, leading to the state semifinals. He led the Winston-Salem-based Kappa Magic to the National U-17 AAU championship in the ensuing summer, winning tournament MVP awards along the way. Paul earned national recognition for scoring 61 points in a game; his 61-year-old grandfather was slain earlier this year; Paul honoured him by scoring one point for each year of his life. Paul had averages of 30.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 9.5 assists, and 6 steals per game all season, leading West Forsyth to a 27-3 record and the Class 4A Eastern Regional finals. By The Charlotte Observer, he was eventually named as a McDonald's All-American, first-team Parade All-American, and North Carolina's Mr. Basketball.

College career

Paul averaged 14.8 points, 5.9 assists, and 2.7 steals per game as a freshman at Wake Forest University, setting school freshman records for three-point percentage, free throw percentage, assists, and stealings in the process. The Demon Deacons qualified for the NCAA tournament by playing in the Sweet Sixteen to St. Joseph's, owing to his play. Paul was named ACC Rookie of the Year and Third Team All-ACC at the end of the season.

Wake Forest was ranked number one in the country for the first time in school history for two weeks early in Paul's sophomore season. In a victory over neighbor North Carolina on January 15, 2005, Paul scored 26 points and 8 assists, and he scored 23 points in a victory over rival Duke on February 3. Paul punched NC State guard Julius Hodge in the groin and was suspended from the ACC Tournament for a short period of time in the final game of the year. The Demon Deacons returned to the NCAA tournament again, but West Virginia suffered in a second round upset. Paul was eventually named First Team Consensus All-America with a 3.21 grade point average (GPA), with final averages of 15.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 2.4 steals per game. He revealed on April 15, 2005, that he would be looking for an agent and turning professional. Wake Forest retired his jersey on March 2, 2011. Paul was inducted into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.

Professional career

The New Orleans Hornets selected Paul as the fourth overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft. The Hornets played the majority of their games in Oklahoma City during Paul's first two seasons with the team as a result of Hurricane Katrina's devastation. Paul finished his rookie season leading all rookies in total points, assists, robs, and double-doubles, and was only the second rookie to lead the league in total steals. He was voted NBA Rookie of the Year by a single vote shy of winning the award unanimously by 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 7.8 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. Deron Williams, Paul's only other rookie to earn a first place vote, was the only other rookie to receive the first place award, although Paul enjoyed a brief rivalry early in their careers.

Paul set new Rookie Challenge records with 17 assists and 9 steals at the 2007 All-Star Weekend. He boosted his scoring and passing averages to 17.3 points and 8.9 assists per game in his sophomore season, but he played in only 64 games due to injury.

In 2007, Paul was chosen to his first NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans, in front of his hometown fans. The Hornets were near the top of the Western Conference standings all year, with one group temporarily occupying first place after a victory over the Chicago Bulls on March 17. New Orleans recorded a franchise-record 56 victories and the second seed in the West. Paul led the NBA with 11.6 assists and 2.7 steals per game, finishing second in NBA Most Valuable Player Award voting and being named to his first All-NBA and All-Defensive teams. He scored 35 points against the Dallas Mavericks in his first appearance in the playoffs. In Game 2, he set a franchise playoff record with 17 assists. In the final game, the Hornets defeated the Mavericks in five games, with Paul scoring 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 15 assists. Their run came to an end in the second round, where they were eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs.

Paul signed a six-month deal with the Hornets worth $68 million prior to the 2008-09 season. With a steal at 106, he tied for consecutive games. He came within a few steals of a quadruple-double, including a 27-point, 10-rebound, 15-assist, and a 7-steal game against the Philadelphia 76ers on January 26, 2009. His final averages were 22.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 11 assists, and 2.8 steals per game. Despite Paul's individual contributions, New Orleans' record dropped year after year, and the Denver Nuggets were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

The Hornets fired coach Byron Scott after a slow start to the 2009-10 season. When he revealed his displeasure with the move, Paul revoked the scandal, saying that team leaders should have "consulted with me and asked how I felt before it happened." Paul ruptured cartilage in his left knee early in February 2010 and was forced to miss the All-Star Game due to his absence. He appeared in only 45 games, with his averages down to 18.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 10.7 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. The Hornets struggled without Paul, fearing the playoffs.

Paul had another injury scare in 2010–11, suffering a concussion after colliding with Cavaliers guard Ramon Sessions and being carried away on a stretcher. He returned two games later against the Sacramento Kings, scoring 33 points and 15 assists. The Hornets qualified for the playoffs after Paul's availability was intact and met with the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. Paul scored 33 points, 14 assists, and 4 steals in Game 1, and in Game 4, he had 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 15 assists. Paul was having a "historically rich sequence" in reaction to Paul's appearances, according to Lakers beat writer Dave McMenamin. However, New Orleans was ruled out of six games, and the team's owners, fearing that Paul will leave the franchise through a free agency, started actively looking for a career that would give the team equitable compensation in exchange for his service.

The Hornets and Paul Lakers traded in a three-team deal on December 8, 2011. The NBA, the time's owner of the Hornets, opposed the contract because commissioner David Stern said that keeping Paul would be better for New Orleans. The players in the deal tried to convince the league to reverse its decision and restructure the contract to no avail. On December 12, the Hornets agreed to a trade with Paul, but the team broke down after the NBA made new demands to the original terms. The team finally concluded the trade two days later, with Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu, and the Minnesota Timberwolves' unprotected first round pick in the 2012 draft, which was used to draft Austin Rivers. Following the conclusion of the contract, Paul said he would opt into the final year of his deal and remain in Los Angeles for at least two years.

Paul's move to Los Angeles resurrects the Clippers franchise, with teammate Blake Griffin later remarking, "It put us on the map." The team developed a reputation early in Paul's debut season, usually from Paul to Griffin or DeAndre Jordan, earning them the nickname "Lob City." Paul finished the year with 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. Los Angeles qualified for the playoffs, losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the conference semifinals, thanks to Griffin's play and the emergence of him as an All-NBA performer.

Paul led the West to victory with a 20-point and 15 assist performance, his first NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award. He had averaging 16.9 points, 9.7 assists, and 2.4 steals per game last season, leading the Clippers to a franchise-record 56 victories. Los Angeles was defeated by the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round, seeded fourth in the West as the playoffs began. The Clippers announced that they would not renew coach Vinny Del Negro's deal shortly after their early in the season, and rumors of Paul yelling Del Negro out early. Any actor was later found not to have been involved in the coaching decision, according to Los Angeles.

Paul re-signed with the Clippers for five years on a five-year deal worth $107 million prior to the 2013–14 season. Despite a shoulder injury that kept him sidelined him for more than a month, Los Angeles set another new franchise record for victories with 57. His final statistics were 19.1 points, 10.7 assists, and 2.5 steals per game. He scored a career-high eight three-pointers in Game 1 of the second round of the playoffs, helping the Clippers take the lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder early in the series. He made a series of late mistakes that culminated in a Game 5 victory, then saying, "It's me... everything that happened at the end is on me." In six games, Oklahoma City defeated Los Angeles.

Paul played in all 82 games for the first time in his career, averaging 19.1 points and a league-high 10.2 assists per game. Despite a hamstring injury, he made the Clippers beat the Spurs in Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs. Despite being out of a 3–1 series lead, the injury forced him to miss the first two games of the upcoming series against the Houston Rockets, and Los Angeles lost in seven games after securing a 3–1 series lead. Paul's loss was the tenth in a row and seven consecutive playoff appearances without him appearing in the NBA Conference Finals.

Despite losing Griffin and Jordan at various times due to injury, Paul led the Clippers on a ten-game winning streak in January. He finished the season with averages of over 19 points, ten assists, and 2 steals per game for the third year in a row. The Clippers drew a match against the Portland Trail Blazers to open the season, taking a 2–1 lead. Paul broke his hand and was banned from playing in Game 4 indefinitely. Los Angeles eventually lost the series in six games without Paul and Griffin, as well as Griffin, who suffered himself in Game 4 herself.

Paul played in 21 games in regular season due to sickness or injury, and he took home 18.1 points, 9.2 assists, and 5 rebounds in just over 31 minutes per game. Paul was not rewarded with an All-NBA honor at the end of the season, his second time he failed to make an All-NBA squad since 2008 and the first time as a Clipper in six years. Los Angeles was disqualified after their first round match against the Utah Jazz, with Paul averaging 25.3 points, 9.9 assists, and 5 rebounds per game over seven games.

Paul was traded to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Patrick Beverley, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, Darrun Harrell, DeAndre Liggins, Kyle Wiltjer, a future first round pick, and cash considerations. The Clippers ultimately decided to trade Paul because they were unable to give him the contract extension he was expecting and they didn't want to lose him for nothing when he became a free agent. Paul, who was keen on playing alongside superstar guard James Harden, opted to serve in the final year of his current deal to make it possible. Any analysts were initially skeptical of the trade due to Paul and Harden's perceived redundancy in their playing styles, prompting concerns over how they would adjust to each other.

In their season-opening victory over the defending champion Golden State Warriors, Paul debuted for the Rockets on October 17. He only scored four points on 2-for-9 shootings and sat on the bench down the stretch as the Rockets made their final push. He was later revealed that he was suffering from a knee injury, and he missed the next 14 games against the Phoenix Suns on November 16. Houston quickly established themselves as a championship contender with Paul healthy, owing to the league's top-ranked offense in addition to a top-ten defense. Their success was primarily due to Paul and Harden, who assumed playmaking roles during play time, while role players such as Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza, and P. J. Tucker provided floor spacing with three-point shootings. Paul led the Rockets to their 12th straight victory on December 15, with 28 points, eight assists, and seven steals against the Spurs. In a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on January 26, 2018, he scored a season-high 38 points. The Rockets ended the 2017–18 season with a franchise-record 65 victories and the best in the NBA, which included Harden's MVP Award and the team's record for three-point attempts. Paul's final averages were 18.6 points, 7.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.

Houston eliminated the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the playoffs, giving them a match against the Utah Jazz in the second round. En route to a series-clinching victory over the Jazz, Paul scored a career-high 41 points, eight three-pointers, ten assists, and seven rebounds in Game 5 of the series. Paul qualified to the NBA Conference Finals for the first time in his career, where the Warriors waited. Going into Game 5, the series was tied 2–2 before Paul led Houston to victory by scoring seven fourth quarter points that fueled a 10–5 run and gave the Rockets a ten-point advantage that they never relinquished. However, Paul strained his hamstring late in the game and, with him out for the remainder of the season, Houston was eliminated from the playoffs with back-to-back losses.

Paul signed a four-year, $160 million maximum contract extension with the Rockets on July 8. He was on-court altercation with Rajon Rondo of the Lakers on October 20, which culminated in a two-game suspension and a fine shortly after the 2018-19 season began. He suffered a left hamstring injury against the Miami Heat on December 20, causing him to miss 17 games in a row. In a victory over the Warriors on February 23, he scored 23 points and a season-high 17 assists. Late in the season, Paul found himself in the midst of a slump and Houston dropped to the third seed in the conference, prompting some analysts to wonder if Paul had moved to a new, less productive stage of his career. The Rockets also met up with Golden State in the conference semifinals, but the Warriors' main scorer, Kevin Durant, did not appear in the final two games.

In exchange for Russell Westbrook, the Rockets traded Paul, two first-round draft picks, and two second-round pick swaps to the Oklahoma City Thunder on July 16, 2019. Paul found himself on a young, rebuilding squad with no ambitions of winning the championship for the first time in years. Despite rumors that the Thunder will no longer be led by Paul immediately, the Thunder's veteran coach accepted his role as a veteran of the team, earning him praise from coach Billy Donovan. Paul debuted for Oklahoma City on October 23, losing 22 points and 8 rebounds in 30 minutes of play. He was selected to his 10th All-Star nod on January 30 and the first since 2016, being named a Western Conference reserve. In a loss to the San Antonio Spurs on February 11, Paul scored a season-high 31 points. The Thunder eventually finished fifth seed in the conference after a break in the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, earning them a matchup with Paul's old team, the Houston Rockets, in the first round of the playoffs. Going into Game 6, Paul scored 15 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter to lead Oklahoma City to a series-tying victory. Although the Thunder eventually dropped Game 7 and be cut from the playoffs, Sports Illustrated praised Paul's tenure with the team as a top point guard and opined him as one of the best point guards in the NBA.

The Thunder traded Paul and Abdel Nader to the Phoenix Suns for Kelly Oubre Jr., Ricky Rubio, Jalen Lecque, and a 2022 covered first round pick. In a close 109-108 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on February 1, 2021, Paul dropped a season-high 34 points, as well as nine rebounds and nine assists. In a 132-114 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on February 19, he recorded a season-high 19 assists while still scoring 15 points. Paul was chosen for his 11th All-Star appearance, second in a row, as a Western Conference reserve on February 23, 2007. Paul and Booker were the first Suns duo since Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire were named All-Stars after Devin Booker was named a replacement All-Star a day later. Paul scored 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists in a 111–94 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on March 21, becoming the sixth player in NBA history to reach 10,000 career assists.

In Game 2 of the Conference Semifinals against the Denver Nuggets, Paul scored 17 points, 15 assists, and 0 turnovers. This was Paul's third playoff game with at least 15 points, 15 assists, and 0 turnovers, the most in NBA history. In Game 4, Paul scored 37 points on a 74 percent shooting (14-of-19) alongside seven assists, guiding the Suns to a 125–118 victory over the Nuggets for their first Western Conference Finals appearance since 2010. Paul was indefinitely outcast as he entered the NBA's COVID-19 health and safety legislation on June 16; Despite being vaccinated, Paul went through an eight-day isolation after finding positive for COVID-19, which led to him missing the first two games of the Western Conference Finals. Paul tied a career-high 41 points in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Clippers, while giving up eight assists in a 131-103 victory over the Suns' first appearance since 1993. During the game, Paul scored 31 out of his 41 points in the second half, making him the third player in the last 25 years to score at least 30 points in the second half of a series-clinching game. Paul had 32 points, 16 of whom were in the third quarter, as well as nine assists in a 118–105 victory in Game 1 of the NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks. The Suns jumped to a 2–0 lead in the series before losing in six games. Paul was the first NBA playoff player to lose four series in which his team led 2–0. He underwent wrist surgery after the Finals were over.

Paul signed a four-year deal with the Suns worth up to $120 million on August 7, 2021. In a 115-105 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on October 22, Paul earned 23 points and 14 assists, becoming the first player in league history to reach 20,000 points and 10,000 assists in their career. Paul won by 112–100 over the New Orleans Pelicans on November 2, beating Mark Jackson and Steve Nash for third place on the NBA all-time career assists list. Paul scored 12 points and 12 assists in a 114-103 victory over the Detroit Pistons on December 2, guiding the Suns to their franchise-record 18th victory in a row. In a 115-109 victory over the Utah Jazz on January 24, 2022, Paul scored 27 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and dished out 14 assists. In a 134-124 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on January 28, Paul logged his 18th triple-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists. In a 115-110 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, Paul had a season-high 19 assists with 20 points and eight rebounds.

In a 124–115 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, who snapped Phoenix's 11-game winning streak, Paul scored 18 points, 12 assists, and three steals on February 3. This was Paul's 50th game with ten assists or more with no turnovers—the most similar games in NBA history. He had been designated as a reserve for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game before the game. Paul led the Suns to a 131–107 victory over the Bucks on February 10, a match rematch of last year's NBA Finals. He tied his season-high 19 assists with 17 points and seven rebounds. Paul achieved his 500th double-double during his career. He is just the fourth guard in NBA history to do so. In a game against the Houston Rockets on February 16, Paul broke his right thumb just before the All-Star break. With a 140-130 win over the Denver Nuggets on March 24, Paul recovered from a broken right wrist to help the Suns claim the top seed in the NBA playoffs. He finished the game with 17 points and 13 assists. Paul stole fourth on the all-time robbery list on April 1, beating Gary Payton for fourth on the all-time steals list. Paul became the first NBA player to play for four franchises in a single season on April 5, after Phoenix's 121–110 victory over the Lakers.

Paul scored 19 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, as well as seven rebounds, ten assists, and three steals on 12-of-16 shooting from the field in a 110-99 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs. In addition, he was the first NBA player to have at least 30 points and ten assists in a playoff game. Paul scored 19 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter and 14 assists in leading the Suns to a 114-111 victory. On 14-of-14 shooting, he tied for the most field goals in a game without a missed in NBA playoffs history, with 33 points, eight assists, and five rebounds. Paul defeated the Dallas Mavericks 121–114 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals on May 2, moving past Tony Parker for his fifth all-time appearance in career playoffs. The Suns jumped to a 2–0 lead in the series before losing in seven games. In a season in which his team led 2–0, Paul became the first player in NBA playoff history to lose five series.

National team career

At the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan, Paul made his debut for the USA national team. He finished the tournament with a tournament-high 44 assists, assisting Team USA in obtaining the bronze medal in the process. He was instrumental off the bench in Beijing's gold medal game win over Spain during the 2008 Olympics, scoring 13 points. In addition to the gold medal, Team USA also finished the game with a perfect 8-0 record. Paul was promoted to the starting point guard position in London's 2012 Olympics, averaging 8.2 points, 5.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game en route to another gold medal and undefeated tournament.

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