Chris Paul has had a legendary career. Ever since his start in the 2005-2006 season, Paul showcased his ability to lead while proving to be an offensive and defensive force in the NBA.
Chris Paul was drafted by the then New Orleans Hornets. Paul brought excitement to the city of New Orleans, which acquired the Hornets from Charlotte in 2002.
Paul has changed the culture on every team he’s been on. He’s a proven leader who’s earned the nickname Point God.
Chris Paul’s Stats
Chris Paul has put up some stellar stats throughout his 16-year career. Here’s a rundown on Paul’s stats:
- Points Per Game: 18.3
- Assists Per Game: 9.4
- Rebounds Per Game: 4.5
- Steals Per Game: 2.1
To go along with putting up these incredible stats, Chris Paul has also led the league in assists four times. He’s led the league in steals an incredible six times.
Paul has been selected to the All-Star game eleven times and he won the MVP of the All-Star game in 2013.
Chris Paul’s Team Failures
The one thing missing in Chris Paul’s career has been a championship.
Before this season, a Chris Paul led team never made it to the NBA Finals. He’s historically had some good teams, but they always underperformed in the playoffs.
Paul has a history of being hurt in the playoffs, which could be the cause of his team’s failures.
Here are a few notable playoff injuries Chris Paul has had:
2015 Western Conference Semi-Finals
Chris Paul strained his hamstring in Game seven of the Los Angeles Clippers’ series win over the San Antonio Spurs.
Paul ended up missing the first two games of the second round vs the Houston Rockets.
Paul would return and he played well, but he clearly wasn’t quite his normal self.
The Clippers lost to the Rockets 4-3 and they blew a 3-1 series lead.
2016 Western Conference First Round
Chris Paul broke his hand in game four against the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Clippers looked out of sync. They would lose the last two games of the series to lose the series 4-2.
2018 Western Conference Finals
Chris Paul teamed up with offensive juggernaut James Harden in 2018 and they would take on the mighty Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.
Paul helped lead the Rockets to an impressive 3-2 series lead after five games, then, the injury bug struck again.
Paul would injury his hamstring with less than a minute to go in game four, where the Rockets pulled out the win.
Unfortunately for the Rockets, Paul would not play another minute in the series and the Warriors won the series in seven games.
2021 Western Conference First Round
Finally, we have Chris Paul’s shoulder injury in game one of the first-round series against the LeBron James led Los Angeles Lakers.
Of course, as you know, Paul would fight through the injury and a COVID-19 scare in the Western Conference Finals to help lead his young Phoenix Suns to the finals.
The big question is now, “can Chris Paul finally win a championship?” We will find out later this month for sure.
Chris Paul undoubtedly has had an impact as a player in the NBA, but his impact goes beyond that of playing…
President Chris Paul
Chris Paul has been the president of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) since August 21, 2013, to the present day.
The NBPA is a labor union for players in the NBA and Paul’s leadership has been viewed greatly by the players of the NBA.
A notable achievement for President Chris Paul was in 2020, where he helped push awareness to vote which led to over 90% of the NBA being registered to vote for the 2020 presidential election.
In 2016, only 20% of NBA players were registered to vote. So, Paul’s leadership in the NBPA helped to not only bring awareness to NBA players but the league itself, which used its platform to get fans to register.
So, with this year’s finals already started, it doesn’t really matter, win or lose, Chris Paul is a historically great player… of course, Paul and basketball fans around the world would love to see him win.
Stay tuned to the finals to find out.
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