NBA player Chris Paul has achieved things many aspiring basketball players could only dream of, yet that isn’t enough for his critics — or the bullies at his daughter’s school. During a sit down with The Pivot podcast recently, Paul shared how conversations about him not having a ring yet impacts his kids. For the record, an NBA championship ring is one awarded to teams that win the title each season.
“It’s tough on me but I think it’s harder for the people around me. Like my daughter is the sweetest soul you’ll ever meet in your life…She’s at that age now where in school, kids talk crazy to her. She had a little boy, whatever, at school that said some reckless stuff to her,” Paul, 38, said during the conversation. “He was like, ‘Your daddy ain’t never gon’ win no championship.'”
Paul has two children—his son Chris Jr., 14, and daughter Camryn, 10, with his wife Jada Paul.
The Phoenix Suns point guard said his daughter held it together at school after hearing the bully talk trash, but gave him a call later.
“She was upset,” he said. “I had to have that conversation with her and talk to her and tell her, like, ‘Baby, some people talk and some people do.'”
Paul has indeed been a doer. He began his NBA career in 2005 when he got drafted by the New Orleans Hornets. To date, he is a former rookie of the year, 12-time all-star, a four-time all-NBA first teamer and a two-time Olympic gold medalist with Team USA. He is also an advocate for other players as he served as president of the NBA players’ union from 2013 to 2021.
The talk about whether or not he can go all the way before stepping away from the game is ever present, but he’s not letting it bother him too much.
“It’s tough man, but can’t nobody ever be harder on me than I am on myself,” he said before adding, “As mad as I am and whatnot, I cannot let that define me. Right? I got to get back to work.”
The proud father of two has been married to his wife Jada since 2011 and the two are college sweethearts. They both grew up in North Carolina and attended Wake Forest University. She, along with other members of Chris’s family, have also dealt with negative comments and behavior from NBA fans of all ages. In 2022, during the playoffs, a Dallas Mavericks fan pushed Jada and Chris’s mother when they were playing at American Airlines Center and sources at the time claimed that Chris Jr. and Camryn witnessed the scene. The individual said to be responsible was swiftly removed from the venue.