- 6 weeks ago
The Los Angeles Clippers guard joined Forbes senior writer Jabari Young on The Enterprise Zone for an interview. During their conversation, Paul discussed his plans for a new business venture aimed at managing his investment portfolio, which includes equity stakes in the NWSL franchise Angel City FC. He also shared insights on how he has managed to stay in the NBA for 20 years.
Read the full story on Forbes:
Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1
0:00 - Introduction: Chris Paul Returns to the Clippers
1:16 - My Winning Stock is Up 106%
2:03 - The Soundtrack That Keeps Me Grounded
3:00 - The #1 Reason I Came Back to LA
4:47 - The Day Steve Ballmer Commanded the Room
8:02 - Joining the NBA's Most Elite Longevity Club
9:02 - Introducing 'The Chris Paul Collective'
11:00 - From Union President to Building My Own Brand
13:40 - Is It Time to Be Selfish?
15:02 - My Vision for Ohh Dip!!! Productions
16:11 - The Billion-Dollar Business of Youth Sports
18:21 - How I Chose the President of My Company
20:31 - What I'm Still Learning About the Business of Basketball
24:02 - Why We Need to Normalize Talking About Money in the Locker Room
25:31 - My First Big Deal & The Lessons I Learned from Nike
27:44 - My #1 Piece of Advice for NBA Rookies
30:05 - Is Becoming a Billionaire a Goal for Me?
32:22 - Chris Paul's Business Empire in One Word: Family
34:11 - Chris Paul's Advice to Up-and-Coming Black Businesses
36:58 - Chris Paul's Favorite 'NBA on NBC' Moment
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
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Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.
Read the full story on Forbes:
Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1
0:00 - Introduction: Chris Paul Returns to the Clippers
1:16 - My Winning Stock is Up 106%
2:03 - The Soundtrack That Keeps Me Grounded
3:00 - The #1 Reason I Came Back to LA
4:47 - The Day Steve Ballmer Commanded the Room
8:02 - Joining the NBA's Most Elite Longevity Club
9:02 - Introducing 'The Chris Paul Collective'
11:00 - From Union President to Building My Own Brand
13:40 - Is It Time to Be Selfish?
15:02 - My Vision for Ohh Dip!!! Productions
16:11 - The Billion-Dollar Business of Youth Sports
18:21 - How I Chose the President of My Company
20:31 - What I'm Still Learning About the Business of Basketball
24:02 - Why We Need to Normalize Talking About Money in the Locker Room
25:31 - My First Big Deal & The Lessons I Learned from Nike
27:44 - My #1 Piece of Advice for NBA Rookies
30:05 - Is Becoming a Billionaire a Goal for Me?
32:22 - Chris Paul's Business Empire in One Word: Family
34:11 - Chris Paul's Advice to Up-and-Coming Black Businesses
36:58 - Chris Paul's Favorite 'NBA on NBC' Moment
Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:
https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript
Stay Connected
Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com
Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.
Category
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SportsTranscript
00:00Approaching 21 seasons in the NBA, Chris Paul has seen it all.
00:04From the league ownership level to competing on championship caliber teams as a 12-time NBA All-Star.
00:10And now, as he winds down his career, he's getting more serious about business off the court and making a big change.
00:17We'll explain. You're in the Enterprise Zone in our Forbes studio.
00:25This is Jabari Young here in the Enterprise Zone.
00:28Only thing is, we're not in the NASDAQ.
00:30We're in our Forbes studio, and it's because Chris Paul, he's out in L.A., right?
00:34He's the guest on this episode, and he is getting ready for another NBA season fresh off of signing a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Clippers.
00:42Chris, it's so phenomenal to have you back on the show, my brother.
00:45A lot of things to talk about.
00:46You got something special going on.
00:48But before I get into all that, man, how is the summer going now that you officially know what you're going to be and where you're going to be next year?
00:54Summer's amazing, man.
00:56Getting some great time with the family.
00:58Yeah.
00:58Ready for this next season.
01:00It's just great.
01:03It's a good time.
01:04My kids are really at that age now where they're really coming into their own, so it's just been great to be around.
01:11Yeah.
01:12All the retirement questions, they've stopped for now, right?
01:14Does it feel good to ask for people to finally stop saying, hey, are you coming back next season?
01:17Are you coming back next season?
01:18We know where you're going to be.
01:19You're going to be out in L.A. with Steve Ballmer at the Intuit Zone.
01:22Yeah, it does.
01:23It does.
01:23It feels good to know that, you know, I can be where my feet are, right?
01:28My feet are right here, back here at home with my family, with the Clippers, where I played for six seasons in a different arena that I played in.
01:37The Intuit Dome, like you said, with Steve Ballmer, T. Lou, Kawhi, James, Brad Dill.
01:44It's a ton of great players, so I'm excited about it.
01:47Yeah, man.
01:47Well, listen, I always got to start the show, even though I'm not at the NASDAQ, in our Forbes studio, man.
01:51You got to give me a stock, right?
01:52What's something that's been working?
01:53Last time we spoke, you told me he was going to buy some Chevron stock.
01:56Did you complete that deal yet?
01:57Is it all done?
01:59You know what's crazy?
01:59Not yet.
02:01Oh, man.
02:02Definitely got the colors on today, though, right?
02:04And I got a front hat sitting right up here in my office.
02:07Yeah.
02:08Yeah.
02:08What's been working well for you in 2025, though, man, when you look into your portfolio?
02:11You know, it's funny.
02:12Obviously, NVIDIA, like everybody else, but also Ken Ross Gold, you know, that's up 106%.
02:19Yeah, 106%.
02:22That's a mining company or whatnot, so that's something you should definitely look into.
02:26Yeah, getting into the gold before people were able to buy it.
02:28You're mining it first, and then it gets to the shelves, and you're going to make the
02:31profit back.
02:32That's really insane, man.
02:33K-mining gold.
02:34Yep.
02:35Okay.
02:36Ken Ross.
02:36Ken Ross.
02:37Okay.
02:38Cool.
02:38Cool.
02:39Well, listen, man, soundtrack to 2025, right?
02:41I mean, listen, you're coming off of playing with the Spurs.
02:44Definitely want to tap your brain on that a little bit.
02:46And now you're entering now a whole new dynamic where you're going back to where you came from
02:50with the Los Angeles Clippers.
02:52But what's been in the soundtrack to 2025?
02:54What's been keeping you motivated?
02:55What's been keeping you creative all this time?
02:57Man, you know what it is?
02:59It's gospel music.
03:01Gospel music.
03:02I listen to gospel music day in and day out.
03:04You know, it's funny.
03:06Over the course of a season, you know, it's really ups and downs.
03:09And I tell you, you get to this life that you dreamed of as a kid, and it's the one thing
03:16that has really kept me grounded my entire career.
03:22It's not forgetting where I came from.
03:24So I'm constantly listening to gospel music.
03:27But I'd be lying if I didn't say, you know, that good old Kirk Franklin and then, you
03:33know, Mary, Mary, you know, can't give up now.
03:36You know, I write that on my shoes, but I listen to it constantly because even though
03:40I turned 40 this year, 40 years old this year, I'm still that 12-year-old, 13-year-old
03:46kid that's in my church back home, you know, listening to those gospel songs and looking
03:50at, you know, the elders and my family members just being grateful for where you are.
03:54Yeah, yeah.
03:55Well, listen, man, grateful for where you are.
03:57Again, signing that one-year deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, $3.6 million, reportedly
04:01what it's worth.
04:02What convinced you to go back?
04:04I know in previous interviews, you were talking about, you know, listen, being without your
04:08family.
04:09And man, you kind of talked about that on the side, about how important that is, especially
04:13when your kids are growing older, because by the time they get to 18, they don't want
04:16to be around you no more.
04:17So it was important to capitalize on these years.
04:19But was that the main factor, just going back to LA to be around your family?
04:23That was definitely the main factor.
04:25Jabari, as man, you talked about having kids and having family.
04:28I grew up around all my family as a kid, right?
04:32I did the same things every week, every weekend, every Christmas Eve we did at my great-grandfather's
04:38church, right?
04:39We did all those different things.
04:41And so at my grandfather's church, it was wild the past six years not getting to see my
04:50family, you know, and my kids, you know, how quick they change and how fast they change.
04:55And obviously, this is NASDAQ, Forbes and everything, and everyone's talking about wealth
05:01and money and all these different things.
05:03But the most valuable thing that we have is time.
05:05That's right.
05:06You know, I've lost a lot of valuable time, obviously, sacrifice.
05:09And many people do that throughout their lives and to each his own.
05:13But I knew that, you know, this time now with my kids is very valuable.
05:19So I cherish it.
05:20Yeah.
05:20As it make it more special, too, that you're going back to a, you know, plan for a franchise,
05:24obviously.
05:25Also an owner and I guess a friend and Steve Bomber, man.
05:28I mean, one of the more dynamic owners.
05:30But as you do transition more into business, I would imagine having somebody so successful
05:35like that in business to, you know, continue to pick his brain up close now is probably
05:41beneficial.
05:42It's unbelievably beneficial.
05:44And it's so cool, like I said, not to just be playing back, living with my family, but
05:49to be with a fan base that I'm familiar with.
05:52You know, I was with the Clippers when Steve actually bought the team.
05:55So I remember that.
05:56I remember his inaugural season, right, and him getting welcomed into the NBA.
06:03And I remember asking him so many questions back then.
06:06And he's been nothing but an open book.
06:08One time in the CBA negotiations, we were talking in the room with all the different
06:14owners and we were talking about how it's been unfortunate that players lose money and
06:18stuff like that over the years.
06:20And so in that meeting, I challenged all the owners.
06:22I said, we all as teams are required to do these business of basketball meetings.
06:27And a lot of times people come into these meetings and talk to us about money that have
06:32never had money.
06:33So it's a lot of times hard for guys to stay focused in those meetings because guys end
06:37up on their phones and, you know, not paying attention.
06:40So I said, why don't you guys, you know, do the meetings yourselves, right?
06:45If you guys as the owners of these teams go into the meetings and talk to us, I guarantee
06:50you, we listen, I'll never forget.
06:52I went back and I told Steve about that meeting and that very next team awareness meeting we
06:57had, he did it himself.
06:59And I'll never forget me and all my teammates.
07:01We sat at that table.
07:03Not one phone was out and we were very attentive because, you know, even though there are a
07:09lot of kids who look up to us and want to be us, you know, all of the players that come
07:14along in these leagues, a lot of times we look up to these different owners and want
07:18to someday hopefully achieve that.
07:21Yeah.
07:22What year was this, man, that this took place?
07:24Because, you know, it's hard to walk into a room nowadays, Chris, and you don't see
07:27people with their phone out.
07:28So I'm trying to imagine what it was like to see everybody with their phone down because
07:32it was a guy like Steve Ballmer, one of the 20th richest people in all the world,
07:36depending on what day it is, is talking.
07:38Yeah.
07:39I don't know what year it was.
07:40I have to look it up because a lot of these years run together, but it was really dope.
07:45And we sat around the table and Steve allowed us to ask questions because if you really look
07:50at professional sports and all of this stuff, that it really should be a partnership.
07:54Yeah.
07:54It has to be communication.
07:56It has to be dialogue, right?
07:57So when players are going out, signing autographs and doing all this stuff, they understand
08:02the purpose behind them, right?
08:04Yeah.
08:05So we should all understand how we all benefit from the growing of this game.
08:10And I appreciate Steve for that then.
08:13Obviously, I've been away for a number of years now or whatnot, but I'm excited about
08:18being able to pick his brain again.
08:21Yeah.
08:22Well, I don't want to bury the lead, man.
08:23Definitely want to switch to what you have going on off the court.
08:26But before that, you're going into your 21st season, Chris.
08:28Only six players have achieved 20 or more years, right?
08:33LeBron, obviously, still going.
08:35Vince Carter, Dirk Nowinski, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Willis, the chief, Robert Parrish, one
08:41of my all-time favorites, man, that have played more than 20 years.
08:44You're joining a very, very, very small class.
08:47As you are continuing to go, and I know you want to be where your feet is, the gratitude
08:51is one of your favorite words.
08:53But is it sunken yet that you are entering an elite class of players?
08:56Because pulling off that amount of time playing sports is unheard of in most professions.
09:03Still just in it, right?
09:04I never really get a chance to stop and think about it because you just, I'm up.
09:11I was in the gym this morning at 6 a.m., you know, and I'm sure there'll be some time where
09:16I'm like, dang, it has been a long time, you know, but I just keep being thankful, seriously.
09:23I know you said it already, but I just keep trying to continue to show up every day.
09:30Yeah.
09:31Basketball to the side now, man.
09:32Jumping into some business.
09:33It's Ford's exclusive in a way.
09:36You're kind of combining your business entities, investments, nonprofit, businesses that you've
09:42owned, a snack brand, Old Dip Productions, and you are creating the Chris Paul Collective,
09:47right?
09:48This business vehicle will be operating a lot of your business ventures, most of them
09:52investments and what have you.
09:54Take me inside of the Chris Paul Collective, man.
09:56What does it mean?
09:57Why are you doing it now?
09:59You know, what's the idea behind the Chris Paul Collective?
10:01You know, it's funny.
10:02The Collective is really just the next evolution of everything that I've been doing and building
10:07over the last 20 years, right?
10:09So the last 20 years, I've had an opportunity to be a part of so many different business ventures,
10:16so many different conversations, and all these different things that I've learned from different
10:20teams, from being the president of the union.
10:23And so just, you know, now trying to make sure everything is moving in the right direction
10:32for what's next.
10:33Yeah.
10:34When you look inside, right?
10:35Again, take me inside of this.
10:36When did it hit you that this was the next move to expanding your business?
10:41Because again, your career is winding down, Chris.
10:43I can't see you planning another 21 years, right?
10:45Somewhere along these next, you officially will say, hey, it's been real.
10:52But, you know, when you're looking inside of Chris Paul Collective, what are you preparing
10:56for?
10:56I know last time we spoke, you said you wanted to be an NBA owner.
10:59What is the Chris Paul Collective allowing you to prepare for down the road?
11:03It's allowing me to prepare for, right?
11:06I'm still playing.
11:07I'm still in it right now.
11:08But the different entities that I have, Playbook Group, Good Eatin', my Chris Paul Family
11:15Foundation, all these different things, it allows us to continue to grow and build and
11:20expand.
11:20I think that's what the goal is and what we're trying to do, trying to find like-minded
11:24people who have great ideas.
11:27I think over my career, the only reason I've been able to play this long is to continue
11:33to learn, right?
11:34Continue to learn.
11:35I think everyone's always like, you know, we're going to bring him in because he knows
11:39so much.
11:39Well, I do have a lot of institutional knowledge, but I'm also, I'm excited about learning.
11:45So find like-minded people to build and grow with.
11:49We were talking earlier too, man, about the structure of it all, right?
11:53Throughout your career, you've been asked to come in, help teams repair.
11:57One of the key moments in Oklahoma City.
11:59I don't know why they haven't given you a ring.
12:00A lot of those young guys, you know, you prepared and now they are now world champions,
12:05right?
12:05But Chris Paul had an impact on some of those young guys there, right?
12:08And then you go to San Antonio, Phoenix, and what have you, throughout your career, you've
12:12been asked to bring this element of not only basketball IQ, but how to be a structured
12:17professional, a vet, right?
12:19At the league level as well, when you were, you know, president of the Players Association
12:23and always being tapped for that type of structure.
12:26And here you are putting that structure on the Chris Paul Collective.
12:30Where, again, where's that fuel at?
12:32You know, when did it hit you that, you know, I got to start to get my affairs off the court
12:36more structured?
12:37You know, what happened was, I mean, I came into the NBA when I was 19, right?
12:42When you come into the NBA, you've been in the backyard, acting like MJ, acting like Kobe,
12:48shooting fadeaways, not thinking about business.
12:51But being thrust my third year, I got on to the executive committee, right?
12:57And got to start sitting in these rooms.
12:58And I was really amazed at all of the behind the scenes and all the business that goes into
13:04the game, right?
13:06And then when I became president of the union, that really was eye-opening.
13:12We didn't have an executive director, so had to do interviews, had to do hires.
13:17We went through a pandemic and organizing the bubble from day one to the end of it, being
13:24a part of all those different phone calls.
13:26And, you know, it's interesting.
13:28And like I said, over the years, I've been fortunate enough, like I said, to work on
13:34so many different things and helping different teams and helping the league.
13:38And, you know, I was just like, it's time for me to make sure that I focus on, you know,
13:43my brand, my team, and how we can grow and build.
13:48Is it like a selfish moment here where you had to say, hey, you know what?
13:52I've helped the league a lot.
13:54You're in a very good place, right?
13:5570 plus billion dollar TV deal.
13:57You know, the CBA is secure.
13:59Is this time to start being selfish, Chris Paul now, and again, start to worry about,
14:04you know, life after basketball?
14:06Honestly, it is.
14:07It is to a certain extent.
14:08But I'm always going to be who I am, right?
14:10I'm always going to be who I am.
14:12And that is a connector.
14:13I've always connected people.
14:15I've always tried to, I've never been a hoarder of information, right?
14:20So with this Chris Paul collective, I think there's a way to grow and do it all, right?
14:26There's a way to make sure that my business is straight and organized and everything.
14:30But there is a way to continue to grow and scale and figure out what else is out there.
14:36Well, a couple of the verticals you are taking underneath the Chris Paul collective, right?
14:40You have the good eating, has some, you know, production or some distribution through Walmart,
14:45if I'm not mistaken.
14:46And then you also had a line with H-E-B, right?
14:48I would imagine you're going to San Antonio.
14:49That H-E-B connection is very real, right?
14:53And that's a good line to be in and a good story to be in.
14:55But, you know, take me right now.
14:57First, let's talk about good eating.
14:58Where are you at with that snack brand?
14:59What are you hoping to do with it?
15:00How's the Chris Paul collective going to push this brand forward?
15:04Well, hopefully we continue to get into other retailers and continue to grow and scale that.
15:09It's such a fun brand, something different that I think not only kids, parents, and everybody can get behind,
15:18but continue to grow that.
15:22Obviously, Walmart, H-E-B, and we'll continue to see what's next with that.
15:26Yeah.
15:27The production company, O'Dip, I think one of the more unique, you know, business verticals that you have
15:32because I was watching a previous interview you did, and, you know, everyone is getting into production, you know, now, right?
15:38Everybody has their own production.
15:39We're in a content, a content is king era, and here you are, you know, with O'Dip Entertainment.
15:45And you're with the North, excuse me, the North Road Company, if I'm not mistaken,
15:49and that's the same house that has Omaha Productions.
15:53What are you looking to do with O'Dip Entertainment, man?
15:54What's your vision?
15:55Because a production company, you can get a lot of credits, but you can also get those bad credits.
15:59If your name is on a couple of films and productions and documentaries that are trash,
16:04then O'Dip Entertainment becomes what, right?
16:06What is your vision with O'Dip Entertainment?
16:07And again, how is the Chris Paul collective going to help that advance?
16:11Yeah, we're going to continue to try to tell stories, right?
16:14Stories that we believe that can move the culture and also speak of stories that people that sometimes can't tell their own stories.
16:22And we're fortunate enough to partner with Connor Schell at Words and Pictures, who's an amazing storyteller,
16:29and we'll continue to have fun with that, and we got some fun stuff coming soon.
16:34How about, you know, looking at the line of the playbook group, right?
16:38This is another business vertical that you have, you're trying to develop.
16:42I almost kind of look at it like, man, maybe this is the basketball version of what Kyle Ripken is doing on the baseball field
16:47with grassroots and baseball, developing different organizations, grassroots organizations,
16:52and getting more kids involved in the game.
16:54And you, yourself, man, just being on the phone with NBA scouts and understanding that they have put your camp as one of the more elites, right?
17:01And here you are now trying to create a business with it, with the playbook group.
17:05Take me inside of that particular idea and what you're looking to do.
17:08And again, how the Chris Paul Collective is going to help that advance.
17:11You know, youth sports is a huge business, is a huge business.
17:15And I have a very unique outlook because I can still remember being a kid playing on all these travel teams.
17:25And my dad's finished his entire 401k on us, me and my brother playing travel basketball.
17:30But I think the playbook group, whereas, you know, we're able to do the formatting and everything for all these different events.
17:39I think there's so much more there, right?
17:42There's the infrastructure.
17:43There's everything around it.
17:44There's the parking.
17:45There's all these different things and all these different aspects to the grassroots component.
17:49We do camps.
17:50We do camps.
17:51We do regional camps.
17:52There's kids camps.
17:54And there's so many different levels of travel basketball.
17:56I think everyone always wants to talk about the AAU, right?
18:00But there's so many different elements of it.
18:02You got elite basketball.
18:04You have junior EYBL.
18:06You have so much to use sports that I think we have a very good knack and ability to tap into it.
18:15Yeah.
18:16What else, man?
18:16Again, you're a team owner.
18:18Angel City FC, right?
18:19You're an investor in that, right?
18:20You have a cricket team in India, if I'm not mistaken, investor in that, right?
18:24The basketball tournament, the soccer tournament.
18:26These entities also will be housed under the Chris Paul Collective.
18:29Yeah.
18:29So, like I said, it's funny to hear all these different things because a lot of people say,
18:35how do you find time to hoop, too?
18:37I was going to say, how do you do it?
18:38Are you managing all of this stuff?
18:40You know, it's funny.
18:41And that's why a team is so important.
18:43That's why a team is so important.
18:45And that's what we're doing over at the Chris Paul Collective.
18:48With all these different entities, I have an amazing team who's been with me for years.
18:52And I'm excited about our new president, David Schwab, who had that.
18:56And so it's all about teamwork.
18:58I always say, fortunately for me, I'm not a tennis player or a golfer.
19:03I do that on the side.
19:05But I've always played on a team.
19:08So understanding that I may have to pass off to this guy so he can shoot it or pass it
19:12to this guy so he can dunk it.
19:14So understanding that you don't do it all on your own.
19:16And that's what we want to do with the Chris Paul Collective is understand that there are
19:21partnerships and brands and things out there.
19:24And I want to be able to use that connectivity that I've been able to use throughout my entire
19:28career.
19:29Yeah.
19:29Well, you mentioned David Schwab, right?
19:31Because you talk about team and looking at the leadership front.
19:33He's your president, right?
19:35This is a former executive at Octagon, you know, the sports agency over that way.
19:39Did you know he was a former Forbes contributor, too?
19:42Did you know he was also a former Forbes writer?
19:44Didn't know that.
19:44Didn't know that.
19:45Yeah.
19:45Here you go.
19:46Why David Schwab?
19:47I mean, there's a whole bunch of people that are going to look and say, man, he chose him.
19:50Why didn't he choose me?
19:52Why David Schwab to bring on as the president to kind of run the Chris Paul Collective while
19:56you continue?
19:57Yeah, because I met and talked and saw what he had done when he was at Octagon and he
20:02built a business within Octagon that showed athletes and different brands how they could
20:09connect and how they could share and how they could benefit each other, right?
20:14So we met, talked for a long time and it's been a fun, exciting time and I'm excited about
20:20what's next.
20:21What's the trait that hits you, though, right?
20:23Because you don't just hire somebody because you know him and he has these great ideas.
20:26Like it had to be something that clicked with you that says, yeah, this is my guy right
20:29here.
20:29What was that that you saw in him?
20:30Yeah, obviously, business is one thing, but you know this and I know this too, you know,
20:37when you're working with somebody, you know how important it is, you know, numbers and
20:41all these different things, how you think about things.
20:43But I also can tell a lot about someone the way they talk about their family, you know?
20:48And so for me, that's always been the beginning and end with me, right?
20:54It's family.
20:54And so the business, you know, will take care of itself if everyone puts their best foot
21:01forward and do what they're supposed to do.
21:03But that's one little note that someone gave me years ago.
21:07Might have been Frank, Frank, my financial advisor.
21:10He says, I can tell you a lot about somebody if you walk in their office and you just see
21:14a whole bunch of degrees and all this stuff and not pictures of their family.
21:19So that's deep.
21:20So as a guy who's an investor, if I'm meeting with people and I'm waiting in their office,
21:24I should go around or any investor should go around and make sure that there's that
21:27family element there.
21:28What does that tell you?
21:30For you, everyone's different, right?
21:33Everyone's different, right?
21:35Some someone who's not like that, they might make you a lot of money and that might be good
21:38and well.
21:39But for someone who I think is going to have to work that close to me, me and my my my
21:44inner circle.
21:46Yeah, I I really pay attention to that.
21:49But what's the one thing that people still maybe you haven't even spoke about that you
21:54still are learning about business because you've been in the league 21 years, right?
21:58We spoke.
21:58You've seen things at a number of levels, Chris.
22:01And until you corrected me, I ain't gonna front, man.
22:03I may have thought LeBron had that basketball knowledge more, but you corrected me.
22:08I'm not you corrected me.
22:09You've seen it all from being traded to being having a trade be upheld as the league says,
22:14no, you can't even do that.
22:15Right.
22:16Going through and being displaced on a team, the pandemic, the problems that the Clippers
22:21dealt with with Donald Sterling.
22:23You've seen things at a number of levels, man.
22:26But what are you still learning on the business end?
22:29Constantly learning, constantly learning.
22:31I say this all the time is that when I came into the league, I hoped that I would have been
22:36like Kobe, right?
22:38And played for one team my whole career.
22:40Same thing with Dirk, right?
22:42Played for one team his whole career.
22:44A number of guys have had that opportunity.
22:47And when you get traded or you leave, you're like, damn, I thought I was going to be there
22:52my whole career.
22:53The benefit that I've had, I've been able to go to all these different teams and a lot
22:57of really, really good teams too.
23:00I got a chance to learn.
23:02I got a chance to learn.
23:03So I haven't seen everything one way, right?
23:07I started out in New Orleans.
23:09Well, actually in Oklahoma City.
23:11Played my first six years with New Orleans.
23:13And I saw the way that we traveled.
23:15I saw the way practice was every single day.
23:17I saw the way this coach coached, right?
23:19I had a coach change.
23:21Then I went to the Clippers, right?
23:23I got a chance to see how we travel, how the team does this, how the team did this.
23:27Then I went to Houston, right?
23:29And it goes on and on and on.
23:31And all these different teams that I've had an opportunity to go to, I'm always learning.
23:36I'm always learning.
23:37I'm paying attention to how many people are in the traveling party.
23:41You know what I mean?
23:41How much money?
23:42You know, like, to be honest with you, I usually always get pretty close to the equipment guys
23:50with the teams, right?
23:52Just somehow, some way.
23:53Big Shot was my guy back when I was in New Orleans.
23:58Then Wilson was in Oklahoma.
24:00My guy, Tone, in Houston.
24:03E. Housing was in Golden State.
24:07I'm tripping.
24:08My guy in Phoenix.
24:11Oh, I'm tripping.
24:12But all of these people, right?
24:13Because they spend so much time at the arena, right?
24:17Like, when we get back from a road trip, those are the people who unload the bags.
24:21We go home and they have to go back to the arena.
24:23But I constantly ask them questions like, how much money do we spend on food, right?
24:29On this road trip, how much money do we spend over the course of a season on food, right?
24:35So I've always asked all these questions, right, for that foresight that someday I definitely
24:42want to be on the ownership side.
24:44Yeah.
24:44So you can know how much not to spend or how much to...
24:46The Speed Bomber is, I don't think he asked...
24:49I know he actually was, when he was building the Intuit Dome, had to think about spending
24:53more money to get more sneaker stalls in there for y'all, right?
24:56This is a man that ain't thinking about money.
24:57Are you asking so that way you can kind of know where your cost is?
25:01Or are you looking because you're just trying to get an idea?
25:03I'll tell you this.
25:04One thing that I learned in being in this for so long, you don't know what you don't know.
25:09Right?
25:10You don't know what you don't know.
25:12And because I do these camps and things like that year in and year out, I'm around a lot
25:17of young kids all the time, right?
25:20I've been in the locker rooms for the last 20, 21 years, right?
25:24Even before that, when I was in college.
25:26So when I do my camps during the summer, I always bring all the kids into a room, right?
25:31One of the days of camp.
25:33No coaches allow, just the NBA players, college players, and high school players.
25:37And I let them ask questions, whatever they want to ask.
25:40Because a lot of these kids now are thrust with the financial responsibility of these NIL
25:45deals.
25:45And they're getting this money with no awareness, right?
25:49But if you got Instagram and social media, all these kids won't want, they want to be
25:53able to fly private.
25:54They want to be able to do this.
25:55But if nobody ever explains to them how much it costs to fly private, a lot of these kids
26:00don't know how much a house costs.
26:02They don't know how much a car costs, right?
26:04They just getting the money with no awareness, right?
26:07So I'm in these different locker rooms and all these different things.
26:12I'll never know how much a team spends on food over a season if I don't ask.
26:17I'm just, I'm asking because I don't know, right?
26:23So when me and Steve walked through Intuit, I'm asking questions.
26:29How much did it cost to put that screen in the middle, right?
26:33Because like I said, just like there's all levels to this stuff, right?
26:38Like the kids don't know how much a car costs.
26:41The only way they'll ever know is if somebody tells them.
26:44So I got to be open-minded and ask these questions when I'm walking through in the ring.
26:50Yeah.
26:50Yeah, that's important.
26:51We were talking about normalizing, talking about money in the locker room.
26:55When you first came into, you know, the NBA, I don't know how different it was, but have
26:59you seen any improvements about guys talking about money in the locker room or is it still
27:03almost a taboo?
27:04It's still pretty taboo, to tell you the truth.
27:07I think it's coming around.
27:08I think Andre Aguedala at the union, you know, is doing a really good job of making sure he
27:13get in front of these guys because he's been in the locker room his entire career and he's
27:18seen it.
27:18You know, most guys in the locker room, you know, talking about cars, music, women, all
27:23these different things.
27:24Um, a lot of times people just, it's not just locker room.
27:29I think it's life.
27:30I think it's men.
27:31I think it's all of us, you know, especially African-American men.
27:34A lot of times people don't talk about finance, right?
27:37So it's something that we got to normalize.
27:40We got to normalize talking about, about, about finance and money.
27:45Yeah.
27:46Well, take me back, man, because one of the original deals, I've been always curious about
27:50what people have learned over their course of their career, as well as the course of
27:53their business dealings.
27:55Do you remember your first ever NBA deal, not contract, but side deal off of the court,
28:01away from basketball that you got as Chris Paul, the player.
28:04You remember that deal?
28:05I remember.
28:06What deal was that?
28:06It was my Nike deal.
28:08Nike deal.
28:08What year did that come?
28:10My Nike deal, my shoe deal.
28:12And what year was that?
28:14That was 2005.
28:162005.
28:17You come and you sign a Nike deal.
28:18What's Chris Paul like when he's signing that Nike deal?
28:21What are you looking to learn?
28:22And you look at from 2005 to 2025 now, right?
28:26What have you learned in that time from signing that Nike deal to now?
28:30I learned so much.
28:32And you have to think about it.
28:33Nike is still my partner now, right?
28:36From 2005 to now, Nike Jordan, brand Jordan is still my partner now, going into my 21st season.
28:44So I've learned a lot.
28:45My third year, I got a chance to have my own shoe.
28:51So then that changed also because now I have my own shoes.
28:54So now you have royalties, right?
28:56So you have a different type of stake in the game, right?
28:59And so when you go on these different tours or whatnot, you also get a sheet that can show you if you're interested.
29:05And I was interested in all the information, right?
29:08I wanted to see where I was selling most of my shoes at.
29:12And most of my shoes were sold in China.
29:13So I would do a China tour every summer.
29:16And on one of my China tours, I actually took a few-hour ride outside of one of the cities and visited Shoe Town, which is where they actually made my shoe.
29:28And so to go to the factory and to see my shoe be made from beginning to end and to see how important those relationships are, because anybody who knows who's been in the shoe business, it probably takes a longer amount of time now.
29:43Back then, it might have took, if you wanted a new shoe, a special shoe, it might have took like six weeks, maybe four to six weeks.
29:53But just by me visiting Shoe Town and those people seeing that I took the time to come over there, I remember hitting my Jordan rep, being like, yo, let's see if we can do this colorway.
30:03And maybe it might have been two to three weeks, right?
30:07And so even back then at a young age, it showed me how relationships matter.
30:12Yeah, 2011 too, man, you were in an interview and you said, you know, when you were starting to do the State Farm commercials, how you would start to pick up ideas about production, right?
30:22What about that State Farm relationship have you, you know, maybe it has improved your understanding of how production worked that you hope to apply to Old Dip Entertainment?
30:30Yeah, that's a good question too.
30:32How are you forgetting about all this stuff, right?
30:34You're involved in so many businesses, Chris.
30:36But the State Farm commercials were very eye-opening because it shows you, you know, when you're the talent, right?
30:45But if you're on your trailer and that's all you're paying attention to, then that's one thing, right?
30:49But while I'm on set, I'm paying attention to the assistant AD, the person who's coming to get me to tell me to come to set.
30:58I'm watching all the cameras and everything that goes around, I'm watching the agency, right, and how they are set up.
31:06And it's all the details that go into it that I've always been intrigued by, right?
31:13Back when I played in New Orleans, that's when I realized that people film a lot of movies in Louisiana.
31:20And I was a young kid.
31:22I was like, why?
31:23And then I found out it was because of tax breaks.
31:26So I used to go, I used to get out of practice and go sit on the set of different movies that was being shot, which is how I met Tim Story.
31:33Tim Story back then, he was shooting a movie called Hurricane Season.
31:37And so I've just always been very, very curious, right?
31:42Seriously.
31:42And that's what gets me most excited about the Chris Paul Collective with business and all in what's next.
31:52Yeah.
31:53Are you looking into adding any crypto lines?
31:55I mean, AI is a big buzzword still.
31:57Are you looking at any AI companies or do you have any that's going to be rolled up into this Chris Paul Collective?
32:02AI is a big buzzword and something that I definitely look into.
32:05I've actually had an opportunity to go to a few events and looking into things.
32:08But those will all be part of the discussion so we can figure out if that's something we want to tap into.
32:15Well, you're a vet now, man.
32:16A rookie comes up to you and they say, Chris, man, I've seen what you're doing, you know, off the court.
32:20I'm watching the Chris Paul Collective.
32:22Why should I, you know, follow in your footsteps and maybe start my own business vehicle to house my own things?
32:27What do you tell these young kids who may come in and try to pick your brain about business before you leave?
32:32That's a great question because I am in a locker room with a lot of young guys.
32:36Honestly, you know, if a guy comes to me and asks me that, you know, it will be a longer conversation.
32:43The beginning of the conversation would be make sure you keep the main thing, the main thing.
32:47Right.
32:48Which is basketball?
32:49Exactly.
32:50Basketball.
32:51See, what has given me the opportunity to do this for a long time is the basketball.
32:56Right.
32:56So if you come into this thing and you get too focused on the business, right, you got to you got to make sure you keep the main thing, the main thing.
33:05Right.
33:05But while you're doing that, you can get people in place, get people on your team or whatnot.
33:12You know, I'm grateful to have my older brother, CJ, who's been leading my team since day one.
33:16Right.
33:17That's been the coolest thing is that I never had to worry about from day one if the guy who was right next to me wanted to be me or wanted to try to take something from me.
33:29Right.
33:29So I've been able to build all these things over the years with my older brother right next to me.
33:35Yeah.
33:35Does it feel and I won't put your business out there, man, but it's public information, though, Chris.
33:40Don't beat me up, man, when you see me.
33:41Right.
33:42But does it feel like you made over 400 million in your career?
33:44I know the taxes and all that stuff, man, and it may not be a real number, but you go to Spock Track and you track it and it says Chris Paul has made over 400 million dollars in his NBA career.
33:54That's what it says.
33:55Right.
33:55Does it feel that way?
33:58No, I don't know.
33:59No, it don't feel that way.
34:01I'll tell you that much.
34:02No, it doesn't at all.
34:04You know, it's crazy.
34:05It's an unbelievable blessing, man.
34:07But I tell you, for years and years, honestly, and this may not be the cool thing to say, but for years and years early in my career, I had no idea how much I was making.
34:17Right.
34:17I didn't know.
34:18Like, I just love to play that much.
34:20And I still love to play, you know, that much.
34:24But it is wild when you hear it.
34:26I ain't gonna lie.
34:27Yeah, I was with 400.
34:28Now, this is the next question, right?
34:31Because we were able to name Julian Bridgman a billionaire before he died.
34:35God bless his life.
34:36Right.
34:36You got Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Junior Bridgman as billionaires.
34:41Is that a goal of yours to be a billionaire one day or are you not thinking about it?
34:45Yeah, absolutely.
34:46Absolutely.
34:46You do want to be a billionaire one day.
34:47But it's crazy.
34:48It's not to say that.
34:49Right.
34:50But that what that means.
34:52Right.
34:52Because you see when they talk about NVIDIA now, what do they talk about?
34:57I don't know.
34:58Will you tell me?
34:58What do they talk about usually when they speak about NVIDIA?
35:01That all the people that work there, what?
35:03Billionaires?
35:04Yeah, that's what they say, ain't it?
35:06That's true.
35:06Yeah, that's very true.
35:08You know what I mean?
35:08So I think for me, with my business or whatnot, as that grows, just like when I hoop, man,
35:14I get so excited when I get a chance to throw a lob to one of my homies and they dunk it.
35:19You know what I mean?
35:19I think success for me would be that the people around me continue to grow.
35:24And that would be a huge win for me.
35:26What does that signify for you, though, if you did get to that, you know, mountaintop
35:30of being a billionaire?
35:31Only a few people have done it in the NBA and sports in general.
35:34But what would that signal?
35:35What was that signal for you?
35:37I don't know.
35:38I think I got a lot of work to do to have that.
35:40But I think for me, it's always been seriously like about the collective.
35:46Right.
35:46Like, like, seriously.
35:48Like, I think it's more so for me about the people around me and the people who've been
35:53with me and what I can do to help them grow.
35:56When it's all said and done and the Chris Paul Collective is established and maybe you're
36:00looking to pass this on to your kids, name your business empire.
36:04Name the Chris Paul Collective in one word when you it's all said and done and you're ready
36:08to hand it down.
36:09What do you want it to be in one word?
36:11Man, I want it to be a family.
36:15Seriously.
36:16A family.
36:18I want all the businesses connected.
36:21And it's a family and all the businesses connected.
36:24What would that mean?
36:25That mean everything.
36:26That mean everything.
36:27I think the thing that I'm most happy and proud of over my entire career, right, is that
36:34my brother, my parents, my cousins, aunts and uncle, we're not perfect by no means, right?
36:42But in the grand scheme of things, you know, we're all still together.
36:48My family is still together.
36:50You know, this business can be really tough.
36:52You know, money sometimes brings out the worst in everybody's and so does business.
36:57So I'm grateful to still be able to have my closest people around me.
37:04And for those looking to do business with Chris Paul Collective, if it's a company or
37:08there's entrepreneurs who are saying, hey, you know what, maybe I want to put this under
37:12the Chris Paul Collective.
37:13What advice do you have for them about approaching you or David about doing business with them
37:18in the Chris Paul Collective?
37:19What would you tell that entrepreneur, that business?
37:21Man, I would say let's talk.
37:25Let's talk.
37:26Let's do business.
37:28Let's talk.
37:28We open to any and all things.
37:31And I'm excited about it.
37:33Yeah.
37:33Get you out of here on some fun stuff, Chris, man, because you got to get back.
37:36And I know you want to ramp up season to be here before you know it, man.
37:40But million dollar question.
37:41You've obviously made millions and millions of your career.
37:44But for that NBA rookie coming in, how would you tell them about what would you tell them
37:49about spending their first million?
37:50What to avoid?
37:51First million.
37:53First million.
37:55Man.
37:57First million.
37:58And NBA rookie.
38:00And what to avoid buying with a million dollars?
38:02What to avoid buying with a million dollars?
38:07Some crazy jewelry.
38:09Don't need no crazy jewelry because it's a million dollars.
38:13You got to get your car.
38:14It ain't got to be nothing crazy.
38:16I'm trying to think of what you're going to buy so then you know what you can't buy.
38:20Two things you just hit right on the money.
38:21Jury and cars.
38:22I've been in NBA locker rooms too, man.
38:23I've seen what the young guys like to buy.
38:25Jury and cars can add up quickly to a million dollars.
38:28Real quickly.
38:29Real quickly.
38:29Yes, especially if you get those Bentleys and Lamborghinis and things like that.
38:32So stay away from the expensive cars right away in the jury because we asked CJ McCollum
38:36at the Enterprise Zone at the NASDAQ, man, and he was kind of mentioning, hey, listen,
38:40you know, when I got in and I got my first few contracts, I was still living off my rookie
38:45budget.
38:46You know, he did not try to spend beyond his means other than that.
38:49Did you use a similar technique to help you get to where you are when it comes down to
38:52money management?
38:54Absolutely.
38:55Absolutely.
38:55I was renting a really small house in Oklahoma my first couple of years.
39:01It was me and my brother.
39:02We were in a three-bedroom house.
39:05I got a car, right?
39:07I got a BMW.
39:09I got a BMW.
39:10It was a 750 Li.
39:13But I also, when I was fortunate, I had a shoe contract, right?
39:17I had a shoe contract.
39:18So I tried to do what I could off of that.
39:21Living off of the endorsements from the shoe contract?
39:24Yeah.
39:24You played for the Spurs organization.
39:27Name one word, if you had to say it, you know, about what that franchise meant.
39:30Me and you, again, shared Spurs stories.
39:32I covered the team.
39:33You played for them.
39:34We've seen the same people.
39:35R.C. Buford, you know, Greg Popovich, Tim Duncan, Mono Ginobili was around there.
39:39But now that you've had a chance to see it both inside and out, name that Spurs organization
39:44one word if you had to pick.
39:46Legendary.
39:47Legendary.
39:48Legendary.
39:49Why legendary?
39:49I got to eat breakfast just about every day with Mono Ginobili.
39:54I done known Tim Duncan since I was 12 years old, going to the YMCA and watching him and
39:59getting a chance to talk to TD on the regular.
40:03R.C.
40:03Buford, the GOAT.
40:06Literally.
40:08Unbelievable.
40:09R.C.
40:09Buford, you'll probably never see him anywhere.
40:12You'll never see him say anything about himself.
40:14But the one year I had with him, there's never been somebody like him.
40:18Like, R.C., he just, he's different.
40:24You know, all these kids, like, he, they be like, he's him.
40:27He's him or something like that.
40:28Or, like, he's different.
40:29But R.C. was different, and I'll forever be grateful to him for how he had me that
40:37one year in San Antonio.
40:39Yeah.
40:39As you're doing the Chris Paul Collective, we're talking during Black Business Month in
40:43August, man.
40:44Is there any advice that you offer to those, you know, up-and-coming Black businesses that
40:49are still trying to, you know, get themselves together?
40:51Chris, you've seen a lot of deals, both at the high and the low level, but still, that
40:56knowledge still needs to be passed on.
40:58What advice would you give those up-and-coming Black businesses about how to navigate what
41:03they're going to see in the bigger business world?
41:05Yeah, I've invested in a lot of Black businesses.
41:07A lot of them, obviously, Pinky, Slutty Vegan, obviously, Olajuwon, Earl, Eastside Golf, but
41:16I think-
41:16Are you still with those, Eastside and Slutty Vegan?
41:19Yeah, yeah, yeah.
41:19Okay.
41:20Both of those are still under your investments with them?
41:22I think the thing that I would say is you've got to be persistent.
41:28Right?
41:29You've got to be persistent.
41:30And then you've got to have a hunger sometimes that no one else has.
41:35Right?
41:35And it's hard.
41:39It's tough.
41:39And you see this on just about every Instagram page when people talk about, like, inspirational
41:45quotes or facts or whatnot.
41:46But it's real.
41:47Like, there's going to be somebody who don't believe in you, but you've got to believe it.
41:52Right?
41:52So when you go into these rooms or whatnot, you've got to have conviction in your heart.
41:57Right?
41:58You've got to speak and take the time or whatnot that you have to do and understand that everybody
42:03is not going to like what you're presenting.
42:06Right?
42:07And sometimes you have to be okay with that and go on to the next.
42:10Yeah.
42:11I love it, man.
42:12We'll get you out of here on Good to Great, right?
42:13I switched it up this time, right, to have some fun.
42:16Your best or your good to great moment with the NBA on NBC.
42:22Because, Chris, man, you talk, man.
42:23This is the first time that you'll be playing on the NBC platform.
42:27Because when you first came into the league, that NBA and NBC partnership was dissolved.
42:31It's gone.
42:31And now here you are.
42:32You're coming back.
42:33As you, again, wind down your career, you will see your final games, man, or some of them
42:37on the NBA on NBC, man.
42:39What is your greatest moment watching the NBA on NBC?
42:42Something that you still think about today.
42:44Is that Jordan last shot in Utah, man?
42:46Because that's still memorable for me.
42:47Oh, got to be.
42:48Got to be.
42:49Because, I mean, you just watch them games.
42:53MJ shooting that shot or whatnot.
42:55But I've played long enough and old enough that I really remember the...
43:01So, like I said, being on the side where me and Adam talk regularly about the TV deal
43:11and all this different type of stuff.
43:12And we knew that once the deal got done, it was like, all right, this is a must.
43:17Right?
43:18Must.
43:18So, it's actually kind of crazy to know that as a kid watching those games and hearing that,
43:25I never even thought about that, that I didn't play with any of that NBC stuff.
43:29And now that's going to be dope.
43:31That's right, man.
43:32Your kids get to see your memorable moments, man, with that same theme, man.
43:35Like, we grew up.
43:36That's a moment, man.
43:36It really is.
43:37The NBA going back on NBC is like, don't ever do this again.
43:40Y'all got to stay together forever.
43:41This is a business deal that needs to last forever.
43:44Because I used to wake up, you know what I mean?
43:45You watch the games.
43:47You used to watch the shows that came on.
43:48I used to watch Hang Time and City Guys and all that stuff that came on.
43:54So, yeah.
43:55Yeah.
43:55Man, listen, man.
43:56Old Dip Entertainment.
43:57Y'all should resurrect it, right?
43:58You know, should get some NBA stuff going.
44:00Like I said, we working on something.
44:02Absolutely, man.
44:03Chris, man, it is always a pleasure catching up with you, man.
44:06And congratulations again on, you know, again, returning.
44:0821 years you're approaching, man.
44:10This is not an easy feat.
44:12And not only that, man, you're going back to the Clippers, but also congratulations on
44:16going into the Hall of Fame in your own way, man.
44:18You know, you're going to be nominated or going in with that Olympic team that you won.
44:21You and LeBron, active players going into the Hall of Fame.
44:24That's big stuff, man.
44:25I hope you take a moment to kind of enjoy it.
44:27Man, Jabari, thank you so much for taking the time, man.
44:30I appreciate you.
44:31I appreciate your platform, man.
44:33This is much needed, and I can't say thank you enough.
44:36Absolutely.
44:37Chris Paul, the Chris Paul Collective Enterprise Zone.
44:40You know where it is, Forbes.com.
44:42Thanks for watching.
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