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Christopher Emmanuel Paul (born May 6, 1985), nicknamed "CP3" and "the Point God", is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest point guards of all time,[5][6][7][8] 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 five times and steals a record six times. Paul has also been selected to 12 NBA All-Star teams, 11 All-NBA teams, and nine NBA All-Defensive teams. In 2021, he was selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. Paul 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. 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. 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".
In 2017, Paul was traded to the Houston Rockets, where he helped the team win a franchise-record 65 games in his debut season. 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. With the Thunder looking to rebuild, Paul 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, Paul helped the team win a franchise-record 64 games. After three seasons in Phoenix, Paul was traded and spent one season with the Golden State Warriors, where he came off the bench for the first time in his career. He later signed with the Spurs in 2024.
- ^ CP3 on Making First NBA Finals Appearance!. NBA. June 30, 2021. Event occurs at 7:20. Archived from the original on July 18, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2021 – via YouTube.
Winston-Salem, that's me, born and raised.
{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Reid, John (October 1, 2011). "New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul excited to host pickup game in hometown". Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
- ^ Laughlin, Jeff (February 27, 2014). "Heroes of the Hardwood". Winston-Salem Monthly. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
- ^ Dawson, Dawn P, ed. (2010) [1992]. Great athletes: Basketball (Revised ed.). Salem Press. p. 312. ISBN 9781587654732. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
- ^ "All-Time #NBArank: Magic Johnson tops list of greatest point guards". ESPN.com. January 12, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ Bailey, Andy (September 11, 2019). "NBA All-Time Player Rankings: Top 10 Point Guards". Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
- ^ "20 greatest point guards ever: The HoopsHype list". HoopsHype.com. November 3, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ Viray, Joe (October 23, 2021). "Chris Paul solidifies 'Point God' claim – but he's not done just yet". Rappler.com. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
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