Chris Paul was born in Lewisville, North Carolina in 1985. In 1999, Paul began attending West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, North Carolina, where his brother C.J. was already a star junior at point guard. Despite Paul's talent, he was at a significant disadvantage due to his 5 ft 0 in stature. By the time Paul had ascended to the varsity squad as a junior, Paul spurted to 5 ft 10 in.

He posted 25.0 points, 5.3 assists and 4.4 steals per game to help West Forsyth (264) reach the state semifinals. Over the next summer, Paul emerged as a heavily recruited point guard. With his family watching, Paul signed his letter of intent to Wake Forest to play for coach Skip Prosser before his senior year.

Only 13 miles away from where he grew up in Lewisville, Paul had already verbally committed to them during his junior year and attended many Demon Deacons practices and games.

Tragically, only a day after signing his letter of intent, the body of Nathanial Jones, Paul's grandfather, was discovered by Paul's father. Jones died after being beaten and robbed by a group of teens as he unloaded groceries from his car in his driveway. The next day, fueled by the suggestion of an aunt, an emotionally devastated Paul scored 61 points in honor of his grandfather, one point for every year his grandfather lived, in West Forsyth's 2002-03 season opener.

He was a 2003 McDonald's All-American and Jordan Brand Classic participant and was named North Carolina's Mr. Basketball for 2003 by The Charlotte Observer. Paul attended Wake Forest University and played for the Demon Deacons for two seasons, leading the school to two NCAA Tournaments, including one Sweet Sixteen appearance.

He was also part of the first No. 1 men's basketball team in school history. After his sophomore year, Paul declared for the 2005 NBA Draft. Paul was selected fourth overall by the New Orleans Hornets in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft.

Due to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina that summer to the city of New Orleans, Paul did not play his first full season in New Orleans. Instead, the team played in various arenas and relocated to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Paul led all rookies in points, assists, steals, and minutes, earning him the 2006 NBA Rookie of the Year Award. After the season, Paul won the ESPY Award for Best Breakthrough Athlete. Paul followed up his impressive rookie campaign with a solid sophomore season. He averaged 4.4 rebounds per game. He was selected by NBA coaches to play in the 2008 NBA All-Star Game, which was hosted by the city of New Orleans.

In the 2011-12 season, he went to the Los Angeles Clippers. In his first regular season game with the team, Paul recorded 20 points, 2 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals in a 105-86 win over the Golden State Warriors. He was selected as a starter for the 2012 All-Star Game. He also became the first Clipper to be named to the All-NBA First Team since the Clippers had moved to Los Angeles.

In the 2012-13 season, he was a starter in the 2013 All-Star Game, winning the All-Star MVP after scoring 20 points with 15 assists.

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