Chris Paul's NBA career made him one of the most recognizable point guards of his generation.
But as one chapter of his basketball life closes, another may be becoming even more important.
Youth basketball.
Team CP3.
CP3 Basketball Academy.
Nike EYBL.
Middle school basketball.
High school basketball.
Player development.
And increasingly, Chris Paul himself sitting on the bench teaching the next generation.
The interesting part is that this isn't something Paul suddenly decided to do after retirement.
His family has been building in grassroots basketball for years.
What has changed is the amount of time Chris Paul can now personally pour into it.
And one of the biggest reasons for that appears to be standing right beside him.
His son, Chris Paul Jr.
Team CP3 Has Been Building Since 2009
Team CP3 isn't another celebrity AAU program created because an NBA player wanted his logo on a jersey.
The program's roots go back to 2009.
Paul has spoken about how his own family's experience with travel basketball influenced what he eventually created.
His father spent his entire 401(k) helping Chris and his brother C.J. play travel basketball.
Paul has described basketball as a gateway that allowed him to see the world and experience things beyond his immediate surroundings.
Years later, his family created that same type of pathway for other kids.
Team CP3's official mission describes the organization as a nonprofit focused not only on basketball but also on developing young men through academics, mentorship and life skills.
Coaches aren't supposed to simply coach basketball.
They're expected to mentor.
The organization tracks academics and has offered SAT and ACT assistance.
The goal has always been bigger than producing basketball players.
And Team CP3 Has Produced Players
The basketball results speak for themselves.
Team CP3 has developed a long list of players who eventually reached major college basketball and the NBA.
Former CP3 players include names such as:
Coby White.
Wendell Moore Jr.
Harry Giles III.
Theo Pinson.
Reggie Bullock.
Montrezl Harrell.
And others.
G.G. Jackson came through CP3's middle school development structure before becoming one of the country's elite prospects and eventually reaching the NBA.
That matters because it demonstrates something important about Paul's grassroots model.
It isn't only about finding players when they're already nationally famous.
CP3 has invested in the development pipeline.
The Camps Might Be Just as Important as the Team
Team CP3 receives plenty of attention because of Nike EYBL and Peach Jam.
But Chris Paul's influence on youth basketball extends much further.
The CP3 National Middle School Combine has developed into a major national platform for elite sixth, seventh and eighth graders.
And that is only the beginning.
The CP3 camp system creates a progression.
Middle school players can enter through the National Middle School Combine.
Top younger high school players can advance into the CP3 Rising Stars National Camp.
Older elite high school players can eventually reach the CP3 Elite Camp, where the environment becomes even closer to high-level college and professional basketball.
That creates something much larger than an annual camp.
It creates an ecosystem.
CP3 Rising Stars Has Been Doing This for 14 Years
The 2026 CP3 Rising Stars National Camp marked the event's 14th year.
That longevity matters.
Youth basketball is filled with events that appear for a few summers and disappear.
CP3 has built something players and families recognize.
The 2026 camp brought together hundreds of talented players for competition, development, classroom instruction and evaluation.
The program emphasizes that players shouldn't simply leave with highlights.
They should leave understanding basketball better.
They should understand where they need to improve.
They should build relationships.
They should learn how to prepare for what comes next.
That is a very Chris Paul approach to basketball.
Chris Paul Has Always Been a Basketball Teacher
Paul was never simply an athlete.
His greatest advantage was always his understanding of the game.
He controlled pace.
He understood angles.
He manipulated defenses.
He knew where teammates needed to be.
He understood clock situations.
He could recognize what a defense was doing before many players realized what had happened.
There is a reason the nickname Point God followed him throughout his career.
Those qualities translate naturally into coaching.
And now young players are receiving that knowledge directly.
Chris Paul Jr. Changed the Equation
This is where the story becomes especially interesting.
Chris Paul Jr. is no longer simply the little kid sitting courtside watching his father play NBA basketball.
He's now a legitimate high school basketball player developing inside the same grassroots world his father has helped build.
The 6-foot-1 point guard had a strong spring and summer playing with CP3 and has continued developing as a prospect ahead of his junior season at Campbell Hall in California.
And his father isn't watching from a luxury suite.
He's coaching him.
During the 2026 grassroots season, Chris Paul was on the bench coaching Team CP3's 16U and 17U programs.
That included Peach Jam.
NBA.com reported Paul coaching his teams throughout the spring and summer while Chris Jr. continued making significant strides.
Paul explained the difference himself after retirement:
Now the kids get all of him.
That's powerful.
It Isn't Only About His Son
Chris Jr. may have created another reason for Paul to become deeply involved, but the impact extends to every player wearing CP3.
That's what makes the situation different from simply being a basketball dad coaching his son's team.
Imagine being a 15-, 16- or 17-year-old point guard and having Chris Paul pull you aside during a game.
One of the greatest point guards ever is explaining what he just saw.
How to attack the coverage.
Where the help defender is coming from.
When to reject the screen.
How to manipulate the weak-side defender.
How to control the game.
That isn't something most young players can access.
One of CP3's current elite prospects, AJ Williams, described Paul as a resource and acknowledged how unusual it is for a young player to have someone like Chris Paul coaching him.
That's the value.
Chris Paul Is Becoming the Coach Kids Actually Know
There are plenty of accomplished grassroots coaches.
But Chris Paul occupies a completely different space.
These kids watched him play.
Their parents watched him play.
They wore his shoes.
They studied his highlights.
They know the State Farm commercials.
They know the Clippers years.
They know Houston.
Phoenix.
The Finals run.
The assists.
The handles.
The midrange game.
The competitiveness.
Then that same person walks into the gym and starts coaching.
That creates instant credibility.
His Influence Goes All the Way Down to Middle School
This may be the most important part of the CP3 structure.
Paul isn't only interacting with 17-year-old five-star recruits.
The organization reaches players much earlier.
The CP3 National Middle School Combine operates regional events for boys and girls in grades six through eight.
The camps include basketball instruction, competition and evaluation, but they also include education away from the court.
Mental performance.
NCAA eligibility.
NIL education.
Nutrition.
Film study.
Parent workshops.
That's significant.
Families are entering the basketball recruiting ecosystem earlier than ever.
Social media rankings begin earlier.
Exposure begins earlier.
NIL conversations begin earlier.
And unfortunately, misinformation begins earlier.
Having established basketball figures helping families understand the process has real value.
Then There Is CP3 Basketball Academy
The infrastructure goes even deeper.
Chris and C.J. Paul founded the CP3 Basketball Academy in their hometown of Winston-Salem.
The academy now serves players in Winston-Salem and Greensboro with year-round training for boys and girls from kindergarten through 12th grade.
It includes skill development.
Small-group and private training.
Team play.
AAU opportunities.
League play.
Summer camps.
Basketball IQ development.
Leadership.
That means the CP3 basketball footprint isn't limited to nationally ranked players.
There is an entry point for regular kids who simply want to get better.
That may ultimately be one of the most meaningful pieces of Paul's basketball legacy.
Winston-Salem Is Still at the Center
For all of Chris Paul's success, he has never completely disconnected from where everything started.
Winston-Salem remains central to his basketball and philanthropic work.
The Chris Paul Family Foundation dates back to 2005 and was created in honor of his late grandfather, Nathaniel Jones.
The foundation focuses on education, health and wellness, leadership and community development.
The basketball academy is there.
The camps maintain strong North Carolina roots.
Team CP3 grew from those same roots.
Paul became an international basketball star without abandoning the community that helped create him.
The Paul Family Is the Real Foundation
It's also important not to frame CP3 as a one-man operation.
The Paul family is deeply embedded in the organization.
C.J. Paul has been instrumental in the basketball infrastructure.
Chris and C.J.'s parents helped create the foundation that eventually shaped Team CP3.
And today Chris Jr. represents another generation entering the basketball side of the family.
That's why Team CP3 feels different from a traditional sponsored team.
There is a family identity attached to it.
The Paul family isn't simply licensing “CP3.”
They're participating.
Chris Jr. Could Extend the CP3 Era Another Decade
Chris Jr.'s development adds another fascinating dimension.
His basketball journey is naturally going to keep Chris Paul around grassroots basketball.
As Chris Jr. progresses through high school, recruiting and potentially college basketball, his father will remain connected to the environments surrounding him.
But every time Chris Paul walks into those environments, hundreds of other kids gain access to him too.
That's the ripple effect.
His son's journey keeps him close to youth basketball.
His presence then impacts everyone else in the gym.
One player might receive advice.
Another might compete against CP3.
Another might attend a camp.
Another might train at the academy.
Another might simply watch Paul coach from the opposite bench and learn something.
That influence spreads.
A Bigger Trend Is Happening in Grassroots Basketball
Chris Paul isn't alone.
More former and current NBA players are becoming deeply involved in youth basketball as their children reach the grassroots level.
Jamal Crawford has coached his son.
Carlos Boozer has been heavily involved with his sons.
Anthony Black has built AB Elite while his younger brother Beckham Black has emerged as an elite prospect.
NBA families are increasingly becoming part of the grassroots infrastructure.
But Paul has something many others don't.
He already had the infrastructure before his son became a high school player.
Team CP3 existed.
The camps existed.
The foundation existed.
The development philosophy existed.
Chris Jr.'s basketball journey didn't create CP3.
It appears to have pulled his father even deeper into something he had already spent years building.
Retirement Could Make CP3 Even Bigger
That may be the biggest development of all.
For most of Team CP3's existence, Chris Paul had an NBA job.
Training camp.
Preseason.
An 82-game schedule.
Playoffs.
Travel.
Rehabilitation.
Offseason training.
National team responsibilities earlier in his career.
Business obligations.
Yet he still found time to appear at grassroots events and Peach Jam.
Now imagine the possibilities without an NBA schedule controlling his calendar.
Paul can coach.
Teach.
Attend more events.
Work with younger players.
Build camps.
Expand development.
Spend time with his son.
And continue growing the CP3 basketball ecosystem.
Retirement doesn't necessarily mean Chris Paul is leaving basketball.
It may mean basketball is finally getting more of Chris Paul.
From Point God to Teacher
NBA statistics will always define part of Chris Paul's legacy.
The All-Star appearances.
The assists.
The steals.
The playoff battles.
The Olympic medals.
The longevity.
Those accomplishments aren't going anywhere.
But basketball legacies aren't measured exclusively by what someone did while wearing an NBA uniform.
They're also measured by what remains after the uniform comes off.
Team CP3 remains.
CP3 Camps remain.
CP3 Basketball Academy remains.
The players who came through the program remain.
The kids being developed right now remain.
And now Chris Paul Jr. is helping connect one generation of the Paul basketball story to the next.
Chris Paul spent more than two decades controlling basketball games.
His next chapter may be about helping young players learn how to control their own.
