Chris paul is money on the hardwood. on the asphalt, however, he balls on a budget.

Story Justin Monroe /// Photography Jack Thompson

Chris Paul has everything under control. The 5’11, 20-year-old rookie point guard from Lewisville, North Carolina became a millionaire when the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets selected him fourth overall in the 2005 NBA draft. Since then, you haven’t read about the former Wake Forest star wrapping a bank-breaking Lamborghini Murcielago around a light pole, or buying ten Hummers to transport an army-like entourage. The only time you’ll find Paul speeding is when he’s beating opponents to the basket. He sprinkles the court with dimes, but he’s thriftily bought only three cars—a 2006 BMW 750 Li, a 005 Cadillac Escalade that he and his brother C.J. share in Edmond, Oklahoma, and a Chrysler 300 with a Bentley-esque grille, which he gave to his mother for Christmas.

Several months into his first season, hardworking Paul is the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year award, but the only time he resembles a rookie is when you examine his fleet of cars, if you can call them that. An admitted novice in the car game, league veterans are teaching the frosh how to get his vehicle stable on point.

Let’s get right to the probing questions—what crazy perks did the coaches and boosters at Wake Forest offer you? A Porsche? A Ferrari?
Nothing. God’s honest truth. At my school, none of that was going on. I heard some unbelievable stories, like, some guys [at other colleges] have gotten cars, checks regularly and all that. If you saw me in college, you knew I was getting no money. I got a Jeep Grand Cherokee after my freshman year, my family still got it. It’s kind of beat up.

You were drafted and suddenly you’re guaranteed millions. What was the first ride you bought?
The BMW 750 Li. To tell you the truth, at first I wanted the 760 Li, but then I saw the price tag. It’s a $120,000 [car] and it had the V12 engine. So I was like, I’m going to get the 750 because it’s the same body, same make; it’s just the engine is different.

Did you go nuts with customizations?
I put my “CP3” [initials] in the headrest and I got some rims, some 22-inch Asantis. Adam Wolfe at Dreamworks Motorsports in Roxboro, NC (See Custom Car Shop on pg. 129), does everything for my cars. I just wanted to keep it simple and kind of classy.

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