Chris Paul's Road to Stardom

A McDonalds All-American, Chris Paul averaged 30.8 points, 9.5 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 6.0 steals per game as a high school senior. He opted to join Skip Prosser's Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

During his two seasons at Wake Forest, Paul led the Demon Deacons to two tournament appearances and a Sweet Sixteen. Playing in Winston-Salem, Paul earned the ACC Rookie of the Year award and ACC All-Defensive team honors.

The fourth pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, Paul led all rookies in points, assists, steals and minutes, and won Western Conference Rookie of the Month every month in the 2005-06 season.

In the 2008 All-Star Game, Paul sparked a fourth quarter Western Conference comeback, bringing his side back into the game with 16 points, 14 assists and five steals. He also participated in the Skills Challenge before the game.

During the '07-08 season, Paul led the Hornets to their best record in franchise history, 56-26, their first playoff appearance in four years, and the number two overall seed in the Western Conference.

The Hornets met Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs. In his first ever playoff game, Paul notched a double-double, with 35 points and 10 assists. He added another 32 points and a franchise playoff-record 17 assists in Game 2, as the Hornets built a 2-0 lead. New Orleans went on to a 4-1 series win.

Paul and the Hornets drew Tim Duncan and the Spurs in the conference semis in '08. Paul posted double-doubles in four of the seven games, including Game 7, where he added 18 points, 14 assists and five steals. San Antonio edged New Orleans in the deciding game, though, 91-82.

Chris Paul came off the bench during Team USA's gold medal run in Beijing, but he played the third-most minutes (behind LeBron and Kobe) and led the squad in assists.