Chris Paul

Christopher Emmanuel Paul (born May 6, 1985), nicknamed "CP3" and "the Point God", is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

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.

He has also been selected to twelve NBA All-Star teams, eleven All-NBA teams, and nine NBA All-Defensive teams.

In 2021, he was selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

He 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.

On January 15, 2005, 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.

In the final game of the year, Paul punched NC State guard Julius Hodge in the groin and received a one-game suspension from the ACC Tournament, an incident that marred Paul's image for a short time.

The Demon Deacons again qualified for the NCAA tournament but suffered a second round upset at the hands of West Virginia.

With final averages of 15.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 2.4 steals per game, Paul was eventually named First Team Consensus All-America, and with a 3.21 grade point average (GPA), he was also named to ESPN's Academic All-America Team.

On April 15, 2005, he announced he would be hiring an agent and turning professional.

During the 2011 offseason, the Hornets organized a deal to send Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers, but the transaction was controversially voided by the NBA.

He was instead dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers later that year.

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

He also served as the president of the National Basketball Players Association from 2013 to 2021.

Among the highest-paid athletes in the world, he holds endorsement deals with companies such as Jordan Brand and State Farm.

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.

On March 2, 2013, Wake Forest retired his jersey.

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

He played one more season in Houston before being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of a package for Russell Westbrook in 2019.

With the Thunder looking to rebuild, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns in 2020, where he reached the NBA Finals for the first time in his career in 2021.

The following season, he helped the team win a franchise-record 64 games.

After three seasons in Phoenix, Paul was traded away and landed on the Golden State Warriors.

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 Nathaniel Jones; Paul attributes many life lessons to his grandfather and has described him as his "best friend".

Paul was raised Baptist.

Paul attended West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, North Carolina.

During his freshman and sophomore seasons, he played on the junior varsity team.

For his junior year, he averaged 25 points, 5.3 assists, and 4.4 steals per game, helping West Forsyth reach the state semifinals.

Over the ensuing summer, he led the Winston-Salem-based Kappa Magic to the National U-17 AAU title, earning tournament MVP honors in the process.

During his senior season, Paul received national attention for scoring 61 points in a game; his 61-year-old grandfather was murdered earlier that year and Paul honored him by scoring one point for each year of his life.

Paul finished the season with averages of 30.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 9.5 assists, and 6 steals per game, leading West Forsyth to a 27–3 record and the Class 4A Eastern Regional finals.

He was ultimately named a McDonald's All-American, first-team Parade All-American, and North Carolina's Mr. Basketball by The Charlotte Observer.

As a freshman at Wake Forest University, Paul averaged 14.8 points, 5.9 assists, and 2.7 steals per game, setting school freshman records for three-point percentage, free throws, free throw percentage, assists, and steals in the process.

Behind his play, the Demon Deacons qualified for the NCAA tournament, losing in the Sweet Sixteen to St. Joseph's.

At the conclusion of the season, Paul was named ACC Rookie of the Year and Third Team All-ACC.

For two weeks early in Paul's sophomore season, Wake Forest was ranked number one in the nation for the first time in school history.