Chris Paul’s Nickname

Chris Paul, one of the greatest point guards in basketball history, has been playing for the San Antonio Spurs since July 2024. He was let go by the Golden State Warriors in June 2024. He is also one of the highest-paid athletes in the world, due to major endorsement deals with brands like Jordan and State Farm. The North Carolina native, named for the McDonald's All-American, was born on May 6, 1985, and went to West Forsyth High School. He then went to Wake Forest University in 2003.

The New Orleans Hornets (now the Pelicans) selected Paul with the fourth overall choice in the 2005 NBA Draft. He has played with the Los Angeles Clippers (2011-17), Houston Rockets (2017-19), Oklahoma City Thunder (2019-20), Phoenix Suns (2020-23), and Golden State Warriors (2023-24) since that time. He averaged 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 9.4 assists, 2.1 steals, and an 87% free throw percentage over his nearly 20-year career, playing in 1,272 games and starting 1,232 of them.

What is Chris Paul’s nickname?

Chris Paul has two major nicknames: the Point God and CP3.

The Point Guard

Fans refer to Chris Paul as the Point God because of his dominance as a point guard over his 20-year career, which makes him one of the all-time best point guards.

Previously, he has set six records, led the NBA in assists five times, won two gold medals at the Olympics, and been named the NBA Rookie of the Year and NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player. He has also been selected for 11 All-NBA teams, 12 NBA All-Star teams, and nine NBA All-Defensive teams. He served as president of the National Basketball Players Association from 2013 until 2021.

CP3

Throughout his NBA career, Paul has been known by his nickname CP3, which has even been adopted as the name of his nonprofit organization, the CP3 Foundation. Paul's family is where the CP3 got its start. In "Long Shot: Never Too Small to Dream Big," his biography, Paul explained that his father, Charles Paul, was called "CP1," and his older brother, Charles Edward Paul, was called "CP2," making him, Chris Paul, "CP3." Within the family, these names were used to identify members. (via Rev Up Sports)

Paul's familial connection was the main factor that led to the nickname, even though some people thought the "3" in CP3 stood for his jersey number. The fact that Chris Paul has worn the number three on his jersey during his NBA career, however, is noteworthy and contributes to his relationship with CP3.