Chris Paul is considered the Point God for numerous reasons, but the most crucial is how high he has set the bar for excellence as a true-blue court general. A 6-foot guard who epitomizes the term "playmaker," CP3 does it all. Whether it's dropping dimes to his teammates, fearlessly defending opponents much taller and heftier than him, or getting buckets to keep defenses honest, he has proven throughout his career how important having a bona fide point guard is to achieving team success.
As competitive CP is in between the lines, which has led to his becoming unpopular amongst his NBA brethren, he isn't stingy when it comes to helping the next generation of point guards. Nobody knows this better than two-time MVP Stephen Curry, who Paul taught a valuable lesson long before he set foot on an NBA court.
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Summertime is often when most NBA players step away from the game to recharge their minds and bodies. However, for CP, it was a time to return home to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and train the young pups to become big dogs in the future. One of those young players was Steph, then a standout at Davidson.
As CP and Steph battled in a pickup game, the latter's team had game point, meaning that if they scored, they would win. However, Chris would have none of that. With the game not using NBA rules, it meant penalty situations or free throws didn't exist, a loophole that CP relentlessly exploited.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Game point," Curry shared in The Athletic. "I remember him fouling like seven times in a row to not let the other team get a bucket. Then we miss, and he comes down and gets a bucket. Game."
While the loss stung, the lesson he learned that day would prove valuable as he finished his NCAA career with a flurry before becoming one of the greatest players in NBA history. That lesson was to treat every game with equal parts respect and urgency. It didn't matter if it was a regular-season game, a postseason match or a pickup game between friends. One played to win or not play at all.
"Every game you play should matter that much," Curry revealed. "Whether it's an NBA game or a pickup game in the summer at a gym he has named after him at his school. You learn a lot about the will to win."
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Curry enjoyed a masterclass from one of the greatest PGs of all time
As mentioned, Chris may want to knock an opponent's head off when the game commences. However, he has a different persona when the game ends. He's generous with his time and advice, especially to players who genuinely want to learn the game.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"I got to kind of go under his wing when I first got drafted. Followed him around, worked out with him and his trainer at the time, got to feel what an NBA offseason was like, how hard he worked," Steph recalled the summers he spent with Chris.
"It was a good model to learn the game from. Flew to Orlando with him. He had a family reunion, and they invited me and my wife because he was going to work out in the mornings and at night. We did that. Those workouts were intense. It was a nice little shock for me," he added.
Even though the two would later become fierce rivals in the Pacific Division, with CP representing the Los Angeles Clippers and Curry the Golden State Warriors, Paul relayed he absolutely doesn't regret giving hoops help to those who ask for it.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"I've always been this way — and some people say, you're dumb as hell for that — but there's nothing I wouldn't tell them," Paul quipped. "If there's a question, I'm gonna tell him. How do you think to steal the ball when a guy does this? I tell them. Then I end up playing against them, and then they know what I told them not to do. But it's all in trying to help."
CP3's on-court accomplishments are more than enough to land him a spot in the Hall of Fame when he retires. However, what playmakers like Steph will remember most isn't those accolades but the genuine guidance Chris gave them along the way.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Nov 25, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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