Playing sports in the Paul household came at a high price. It didn’t leave space for compromise. Growing up, Chris Paul, an undersized point guard playing for Wake Forest was trying to carve his impression. Given his dimensions, playing basketball was already hard. The school helped by giving a certain leeway in academics. A ‘C’ would do. Paul couldn’t avail of those benefits.

On Sonya Curry’s Raising Fame podcast, Paul’s mother, Robin, opened up about her challenges and experience in raising her NBA son. Both she and Charles Paul worked multiple jobs to provide for their children. Likewise, aware of the hardships that can follow if not prepared, they held a high standard for their two sons. If they wanted to play sports, they had to perform better than the school system’s acceptable score.

“They had to,” Robin answered to Dell Curry, who professed Paul and his brother needed good grades to play their choice of sports. “Oh they were good. I mean they were good because they couldn’t play sports without it. I think our school system, you had to have a ‘C’ average. In the Paul household, you had to have a ‘B’ average. Because both of us, we had full-time jobs and we had a part-time job,” she explained.

Chris Paul might have become a great point guard without these standards, but that wouldn’t be the full story. Thanks to the strict rules set by his parents, his education extended beyond the court. This allowed him to support his peers effectively. A President of the NBPA for eight years,  he made major strides.  He successfully negotiated the 2016 CBA to secure higher salaries and greater revenue share for players. Additionally, he has used his platform to help the community and raise awareness of key societal issues.

Without an emphasis on great education, none of it would have been possible.

The other eminent figure in Chris Paul’s life

Chris Paul had another vital figure in his life: his grandfather, who he called “Papa”. He was a local businessman in North Carolina, but the lessons he imparted were invaluable for CP3. Paul learned the value of hard work and the principle that nothing is ever given but has to be earned, by watching his grandfather work every day. As CP3 grew older and wiser, he understood how those principles positively affected his life.

“As you get older you see how it’s appreciated, how many people came by to thank him. It maybe didn’t really hit me until I lost him when I was 17. But it made me want to have his work ethic and help others the way he did for his entire life,” he told HBR.

His “Papa” was instrumental to his life. To honor him, Chris Paul showed remarkable maturity and thoughtfulness at just 17. During a high school game, he decided to score big. As the points kept racking up, he realized he had a chance to do something significant. So when he got to 61 with a free throw to get to 62, he purposely missed to pay homage to his grandfather who passed away at that age.

As he walked off, he fell into the arms of his father, tears running down his face. There was sorrow, but also peace due to the fact that he had given his grandfather the tribute he deserved.