It was just a normal day when a teenager worked behind the counter of a service station in Lewisville. After refueling, customers paid their dues to the young man and went on their way, noticing nothing unusual. It was a typical scene from a late 90s gas station. But little did they know that they were witnessing the ascendancy of the “Point God”—that teenager was none other than Chris Paul.

CP3 worked at his grandfather’s gas station during his high school days. That gives an assessment of the humble background he came from. While Paul was working to save for pocket money, and concentrating on his game, his mother, Robin Jones, was trying to make ends meet to raise her two sons. Chris and his older brother Charles were talented enough to go to college and education didn’t come for free. So something had to give, and Robin chose the option to tangle herself in loans.

The story came to the fore in an episode of the Raising Fame podcast, a series hosted by the mothers of Shaquille O’Neal and Steph Curry, Lucille and Sonya. Mama O’Neal and mama Curry sat with Chris’ parents for one such episode where the couple from North Carolina went down memory lane. “All we knew was that our kids were good enough to go to college. That’s all we was working towards. College is expensive that’s why put forth our resources,” Robin said when asked about the struggles of the Paul brothers.

A young Chris Paul showed his IQ from a young age, which made his parents believe that their kid would go a long way. “But we didn’t look at it as a sacrifice or anything, this is something we did for our kids… we’d get a loan every year, usually the end of May. So we’d be ready for the summer because we had two kids playin’ AAU both of them making it to the Nationals every year.”

So when Chris Paul graduated from Wake Forest and was selected 4th overall in the 2005 NBA Draft, it was a moment of fulfilment for Robin. Behind the beaming smile, while seeing CP3 holding the New Orleans Hornets jersey, she knew her days of applying for loans were over. Chris Paul embarked on a journey that earned him 12-time NBA All-Star appearances and a $160 million net worth, but never forgot where he came from.

Chris Paul gave back to the community to relieve some mothers of financial burdens

Robin’s love for her kids was visible enough through her hardwood to ensure their bright future. Chris Paul’s father however was the opposite and hardened his boys with some tough love. That only drove CP3 towards the success he has now, but that didn’t make him forget his roots.

In 2005, Chris Paul founded the Chris Paul Family Foundation in memory of his ‘best friend’, his grandfather Nathaniel Jones. Since then, the foundation has worked to empower the community he calls home. This program runs throughout all the cities Paul has played for in his 19-year ongoing career. His off-court assists were recognized in 2020 when he became one of the five recipients of the 2019-20 NBA Cares Community Assist Award.

This came after the Chris Paul Family Foundation took 100 children from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma on a shopping spree during the holidays of 2019. He also collaborated with Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony to launch the Social Change Fund. The fund aims to fight discrimination in the social and economic systems faced by Black communities. His commitment to society can be attributed to the upbringing Chris Paul had and, looking at all the efforts her son is making, Robin can only be a proud mother for raising more than a basketball star.