Chris Paul

Paul married his college sweetheart, Jada Crawley, on September 10, 2011, and the couple has two children. The family has resided in a Bel Air mansion in California. Paul grew up in North Carolina with his older brother Charles "C.J." Paul Jr., who played college basketball and later became Chris's personal manager. His parents, Charles Edward Paul and Robin Jones, raised him in Lewisville, and his father coached youth teams for both brothers throughout their childhood.

Raised Baptist, Paul maintains his Christian faith and regularly attends church. He is an avid bowler who owns the L.A.X. franchise in the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) League and has hosted celebrity bowling fundraisers through his charitable foundation. He also acquired a minority ownership stake in the Winston-Salem Dash minor league baseball team in 2018. Paul adopted a vegan diet in 2019, partnering with plant-based brands, and completed his bachelor's degree in communications at Winston-Salem State University in December 2022.

Paul attended West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, North Carolina. As a senior, he gained national attention after scoring 61 points in a single game before intentionally missing a free throw and leaving the floor to honor his 61-year-old grandfather, Nathaniel Jones, who had been murdered days prior. He concluded his high school career as a McDonald's All-American and North Carolina's Mr. Basketball.

Enrolling at Wake Forest University, Paul played two seasons for the Demon Deacons from 2003 to 2005. As a freshman, he was named ACC Rookie of the Year and set multiple school freshman records while guiding the team to the NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen. During his sophomore campaign, he helped Wake Forest achieve the first number-one national ranking in program history and earned consensus First Team All-American honors. Wake Forest retired his No. 3 jersey in 2013 and inducted him into its Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.

Selected fourth overall by the New Orleans Hornets in the 2005 NBA draft, Paul quickly made an immediate impact despite the franchise temporarily playing home games in Oklahoma City following Hurricane Katrina. He led all rookies in points, assists, steals, and double-doubles, earning the 2006 NBA Rookie of the Year Award nearly unanimously.

Paul ascended to elite status during the 2007-08 season, earning his first All-Star selection and leading the Hornets to a franchise-record 56 wins. He finished second in NBA MVP voting after leading the league in assists (11.6) and steals (2.7) per game. In December 2008, he established an NBA record by recording a steal in 106 consecutive games. Over six seasons with the franchise, Paul established himself as the league's preeminent floor general before the team explored trade options ahead of his impending free agency.

In December 2011, the NBA controversially voided a three-team trade that would have sent Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers, as the league owned the Hornets at the time. Days later, Paul was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, instantly transforming the franchise into a perennial contender alongside Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. The high-flying, fast-paced offense powered by Paul's playmaking earned the team the moniker "Lob City".

Paul earned the NBA All-Star Game MVP Award in 2013 and guided the Clippers to consecutive franchise win records, including 56 wins in 2012-13 and 57 wins in 2013-14. In the 2015 playoffs, he hit a dramatic game-winning shot in Game 7 of the first round against the San Antonio Spurs while playing through a hamstring strain. Despite regular-season dominance, multiple postseason runs in Los Angeles were derailed by injuries to Paul and Griffin.

Paul was traded to the Houston Rockets in June 2017, pairing with superstar guard James Harden. In his debut season with Houston, Paul helped guide the team to a league-best and franchise-record 65 wins. He reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time in his career in 2018, scoring 41 points in a series-clinching Game 5 against the Utah Jazz, but missed the final two games of the conference finals against the Golden State Warriors due to a hamstring injury.

In July 2019, Paul was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Russell Westbrook. Embracing a leadership role on a rebuilding roster, Paul earned his 10th All-Star selection and led the Thunder to an unexpected playoff berth, pushing his former team, the Rockets, to a full seven games in the opening round.

Paul joined the Phoenix Suns in November 2020, teaming with Devin Booker to lead the franchise to the second-best record in the NBA. In the 2021 playoffs, Paul scored 41 points in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals against the Clippers to secure his first career NBA Finals appearance. The following season, he helped Phoenix achieve a franchise-record 64 victories and became the first player in league history to surpass 20,000 career points and 10,000 career assists.

In 2023, Paul was traded to the Golden State Warriors, where he came off the bench for the first time in his career, ending a record streak of 1,365 consecutive regular-season starts. He signed with the San Antonio Spurs for the 2024-25 season, starting all 82 games in his 20th NBA season while surpassing Jason Kidd for second place on the NBA all-time career assists and steals lists. After a brief return to the Clippers and a trade to the Toronto Raptors during the 2025-26 season, Paul announced his retirement from professional basketball in February 2026.

Paul represented the United States national team internationally, winning a bronze medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan before capturing Olympic gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games and the 2012 London Games, both times completing undefeated tournament runs.

From 2013 to 2021, Paul served as president of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), leading the union through labor negotiations and key league issues, including the ouster of Clippers owner Donald Sterling and the appointment of Michele Roberts as executive director. In June 2023, Paul published his memoir, Sixty One: Life Lessons from Papa, On and Off the Court, reflecting on his family upbringing, his grandfather's influence, and his basketball career.