Chris Paul

Christopher Emmanuel Paul (born May 6, 1985) is an American professional basketball point guard for the New Orleans Hornets.Paul was born and raised in North Carolina. Despite only playing two varsity basketball seasons in high school, he was a McDonald's All-American and accepted a scholarship with nearby Wake Forest University. After his sophomore year with the Demon Deacons, he
declared for the draft. Since being selected 4th overall in the 2005 NBA Draft by New Orleans, Paul has been a NBA Rookie of the Year (2006), a four-time All-Star, and an All-NBA and All-Defensive team honoree. He led the Hornets to the second round of the 2008 NBA Playoffs. He has also won an Olympic Gold Medal with the United States national basketball team.
Off the court, Paul is a notable ten-pin bowler and a sponsored spokesperson for the United States Bowling Congress (USBC). He has participated in numerous celebrity and youth bowling events as the head of the CP3 Foundation to benefit programs in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, and charities in Winston-Salem.
Paul played at West Forsyth High School in Clemmons, North Carolina, where he was a 2003 McDonald's All-American and was named North Carolina's Mr. Basketball for 2003 by The Charlotte Observer. Paul averaged 30.8 points, 9.5 assists, 5.9 rebounds, and 6.0 steals per game as a senior in leading his team to a 27–3 record and the Class 4A Eastern Regional finals. That same year, at the beginning of the season, Paul scored 61 points in honor of his grandfather, Nathaniel Jones, who, days before, had been beaten to death. Paul scored one point for every year his grandfather lived. When Paul reached the 61-point mark, he intentionally missed a free throw, then took himself out of the game even though the state high school scoring record of 66 points was well within reach.
Paul attended Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He played there for two years leading the Demon Deacons to two NCAA Tournaments, and one Sweet Sixteen appearance. In his freshman year he was named the ACC Rookie of the Year, and National Freshman of the Year by several publications. Paul also earned ACC All-Defensive Team honors during his time at Wake and was among the Consensus First Team All-Americans in his sophomore year. By the time he declared for the 2005 NBA Draft as a sophomore, he had finished near the top of almost every offensive category at Wake Forest.
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. The Hornets only played three games in New Orleans Arena.