Phoenix Suns star Chris Paul has completed 17 seasons in the NBA. In the 2005 NBA Draft, he was drafted with the fourth overall pick by the New Orleans Hornets.
During his six years with the Hornets, Paul and his team didn’t experience much success, but his performances were not affected by it and he played like one of the best point guards in the league.
Paul was traded to the LA Clippers in 2011, where he teamed up with DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin to form a very entertaining trio. The team were fascinating to watch and even had a good few regular seasons. Because of a lack of performance in the post-season, however, Paul couldn’t see much success with this team either.
Paul was traded to the Houston Rockets in 2017, where he had a threatening guard partnership with James Harden and almost led the Rockets to the NBA Finals. However, because of a hamstring injury in 2018, his career saw a big downfall and he was eventually traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. After only one season with the Thunder, though, the team accepted his request and sent him to the Phoenix Suns.
After his move to the West, Chris Paul and Devin Booker took the Suns to the NBA Finals after 28 years; they didn’t even have a Playoff appearance in the last ten years. Unfortunately, they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the Finals, where Giannis Antetokounmpo & Co were unstoppable.
‘CP3’ is still considered the ‘Point God’ of the NBA despite having no championship rings just because of his exceptional playmaking and scoring ability. He still has incredible individual records, which include:
- 11× NBA All-Star (2008–2016, 2020, 2021)
- 4× All-NBA First Team (2008, 2012–2014)
- 5× All-NBA Second Team (2009, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2021)
- All-NBA Third Team (2011)
- 7× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2009, 2012–2017)
- 2× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2008, 2011)
- NBA Rookie of the Year (2006)
- 4× NBA assists leader (2008, 2009, 2014, 2015)
- 6× NBA steals leader (2008, 2009, 2011–2014)
- USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year (2004)
- No. 3 retired by Wake Forest Demon Deacons
In the 17 seasons and 1100+ games Chris Paul has played in the NBA, he has averaged an elite 18.2 points, 9.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Also Read – Top 20 best NBA players of the 2021-22 season
Chris Paul’s Investments
- Paul has bought and sold multiple real estate properties because of his regular moves from team to team. Currently, he lives in a 7,463 sq ft mansion in Paradise Valley with his wife, Jada.
- He sold his Houston mansion in 2021 for US$5.5 million; his Woodland Hills mansion for US$1.95 million; his Bel Air mansion for US$8.7 million, and a Calabasas estate for US$11.05 million.
- Paul has worked on his car portfolio for several years; he owns a classic 1977 Chevrolet Monte Carlo with a custom trunk, a Jeep JKU Wrangler and a Range Rover. His garage is also seen with a BMW 750LI, a Cadillac Escalade and a ’71 Chevrolet C-10.
- Paul has also invested in several startups, which include: around US$48 million in a massage equipment company, Hyperice, which is now worth around US$700 million; around US$4 million in Chirpify, a marketing platform, in 2021.
- He also owns a few equity stakes in MaxOne, Goalsetter, RSPCT Basketball, Beyond Meat, Koia, and Bowery Farming (which grows lettuce and other produce indoors).
- In May 2022, just before IPL’s 15th season, Paul bought a stake in the Rajasthan Royals, an Indian Premier League team. “I am excited to have become one of the first US athletes to see the value and scope for growth in the IPL,” said Paul.
- Paul also started his own production company called “Ohh Dip!!!”, which mostly creates sporting documentaries but is now planning to expand into scripted and reality programmes. The company started a talk show called “How I Got Here with Chris Paul” where the NBA stars talk to athletes, entertainers and business leaders about their inspirations and journeys.
Chris Paul’s Net worth
After his move from the LA Clippers to the Houston Rockets, Chris signed a four-year, US$160m contract, which gave him the NBA’s third-highest salary back in 2021. He currently earns around US$40 million a year as the 50th-best-paid athlete in the world. He earns around US$8 million a year through endorsements and around US$30 million from his NBA salary.
Paul has earned close to US$261 million over the course of his career.
Chris Paul’s Charity Work
Chris Paul runs the Chris Paul Family Foundation, which was started in 2005 in a philanthropic partnership with the Winston-Salem Foundation, honouring Chris’ late grandfather.
Paul has also been involved with charities like After-School All-Stars, an organisation that partners with schools across the US to provide after-school learning programmes for low-income family children. He has also donated to Aid Still Required, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Girl Up and Make it Right.
Chris Paul’s Endorsements / Sponsors
According to reports, Chris Paul earns around US$8 million annually from his endorsement deals. His incredible, skillful and famous career in the NBA makes him a big marketing celebrity, hence making him a big target for brands to partner with. Here are some of his brand deals:
Jordan
Chris Paul was offered a four-year deal by Jordan in the first season of his career after being drafted as the fourth overall pick in the NBA. After ending his deal with Nike in one year, which paid him US$600,000, CP3 decided to join Jordan, which paid him US$2.4 million for four years.
CP3 and Jordan launched his signature shoe in his prime season 2008-09 called Jordan CP3, which was a big hit in the US market. Jordan CP3 has 11 signature models, as CP3 was inspired by Michael Jordan’s “no shoe repeated twice in his career” mentality.
State Farm
Chris Paul has been appearing in State Farm’s commercials since 2012. Commercials like ‘Cliff Paul’ and ‘The Dunk’, which also featured Chris Paul with his sons, send a message of insurance in the sporting world. State Farm is also a big sponsor in the NBA community, and its logo pad can be seen on basketball poles and also in mid-game commercials.
Disney
In December 2020, Disney announced that it was preparing for a movie on NBA stars Chris Paul and Giannis Antetokounmpo as well as former Oregon wide receiver Keanon Lowe, which would show the challenges faced by the players from an analysis point of view.
Koia
Koia is a food and beverage company that specialises in plant-based protein drinks like keto shakes and smoothies. After going plant-based in 2019, Paul started investing in plant-based brands. Paul and Koia started a partnership to grow the plant-based industry and provide 100% trusted vegan food and beverages to the public. They started introducing Koia vending machines in HBCU (Historic Black Colleges and Universities).
Commenting on the deal, Chris Paul said: “My hope for investing in Koia and other changemakers in the industry is that we work together toward a bigger systemic culture shift where underserved communities have access and opportunity to live better, healthier lives.”
GoPuff
GoPuff announced in February 2021 that it was partnering with Chris Paul to expand its brand’s assortment of plant-based products. To kick off the partnership, GoPuff and Paul provided an assortment of plant-based snack, food and drink options to visiting NBA teams in Phoenix last season.
Spalding
Spalding was the official match ball of the NBA from 1983 to 2021 before being replaced by Wilson, effective from the 2021–22 season.
In 2016, Spalding celebrated the 125th Anniversary of basketball and announced the addition of Chris Paul to its community. The partnership with the point guard included being featured in the ‘Honor the Game’ campaign and in Spalding marketing initiatives and appearing in digital and print ads as well as in-store signage.
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