Having Only $25,151 in His Bank Account, Rookie Chris Paul Invited His Girlfriend and Best Friend to a Shopping Spree

One of the greatest point guards of all time, Chris Paul, recently made an appearance on The Shop. While on the show, CP3 was quite candid, discussing his life before the NBA. In particular, he spoke about his life at home and how it was tough growing up. Money was scarce to come by, so when a rookie Paul had $25,000 deposited in his account, he did not know what to do with it. Therefore, he decided to take his girlfriend and best friend out shopping.

Before he signed his first contract with an agency, Paul had nothing more than $151 in his bank account. However, once he declared for the NBA Draft, a number of agents came calling. One agency stepped up and offered him $25,000 upfront. Quite understandably, a very young man, Paul took it. This empowered him to treat the people close to him.

Chris Paul spent his first big paycheck in the mall treating his girlfriend and best friend

Before he became the “Point God” of the NBA, Chris Paul was still a highly-rated prospect at Wake Forest University. However, everything changed for him drastically once he declared for the NBA Draft. Considering the potential he had, plenty of agencies were gunning to bring him on board.

So, when one agency offered to pay him $25,000, Paul decided to take it. In fact, the agency had originally offered him $100,000 upfront. However, Paul’s parents ensured that their son declined the offer because it was a large amount of money without any output from the rookie star on the court. Nevertheless, CP3 was happy to accept the $25,000.

At the time, Paul only had a measly $151 in his bank account. After signing with the agency, he went to check his bank statement and was elated to see that he now had a total of $25,151 to spend. So what did he do with the money? Well, as he explained to Maverick Carter, Tyronn Lue, and Killer Mike on an episode of The Shop, he took his girlfriend and best friend to the mall and told them to get whatever they wanted.

“I was at Wake, in Winston. I went to the bank right up the street just so I could see what the statement look like. Because we young, we don’t know, we ain’t never had no money like this. I went and got the statement and it said $25,151. Right there though-no education came along with it. First thing I did, I went to the mall. Took my girl to the mall, Jay Gray, his girl, we went to the mall. We went to the clothing store, I said, ‘Everybody get you something!'”

Chris Paul on his first big paycheck 💰

(via @TheShopUN)pic.twitter.com/Zzt5jpUSO7

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 18, 2023

It certainly must have seemed like a lot of money at the time, but little did young CP3 know that he was destined to earn a whole lot more in the NBA.

Chris Paul’s career trajectory

During his first season in the NBA, Chris Paul signed an entry-level rookie deal that spanned four years and was worth $14.7 million, netting him around $3.6 million a year. Fast forward 18 seasons, and his most recent extension with the Phoenix Suns was about $120 million over four years, earning the veteran guard $30.8 million in the 2022-2023 season.

Over the course of his 18 years in the NBA, CP3 has earned close to $359 million in career earnings. And this doesn’t even include his numerous endorsement deals.

With a net worth of $160 million, the Point God is one of the wealthiest players in the league. Something he definitely couldn’t have imagined back when he had $151 in his bank account.