By: Phillip D. Johnson
Avon Products, Inc. announced that LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS basketball star CHRIS PAUL will be joining the company’s team as the face of a new men’s fragrance, UNTOUCHABLE. A legend in the making, Paul – husband, proud father of two and founder of the CP3 FOUNDATION – represents the future of basketball and the power of the will to win. The new scent will capture the thrill of hitting the court when the crowd is going wild, sinking the game-winning shot and bringing home victory.
Christopher “Chris” Emmanuel Paul (born May 6, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA. Paul was born and raised in North Carolina. Despite only playing two varsity basketball seasons in high school, he was a MCDONALD’S ALL-AMERICAN and accepted a scholarship with nearby WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY. After his sophomore year with the DEMON DEACONS, he declared for the draft. Since being selected 4th overall in the 2005 NBA DRAFT by the NEW ORLEANS HORNETS, Paul has been an NBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (2006), a six-time ALL-STAR, an ALL-STAR GAME MOST VALUABLE PLAYER (MVP), and a multiple ALL-NBA and ALL-DEFENSIVE team honoree. He led the Hornets to the second round of the 2008 NBA PLAYOFFS. He has also won two OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALS with the UNITED STATES NATIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM.
Paul attended WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY and played for the Demon Deacons for two seasons, leading the school to two NCAA TOURNAMENTS, including one SWEET SIXTEEN appearance. He was also part of the first #1 men’s basketball team in school history. Paul was recruited by then-Demon Deacons head coach SKIP PROSSER, who only noticed the young point guard when Paul purposely bumped into him at an AAU tournament in Florida so he would take notice of him. In Paul’s freshman year, he started and made an immediate impact. He was named the ACC ROOKIE OF THE YEAR, THIRD TEAM ALL-ACC, AN ALL-AMERICAN HONORABLE MENTION, and NATIONAL FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR by several publications as he averaged 14.8 points and 5.9 assists a game and helped the Demon Deacons reach the Sweet Sixteen of the 2004 NCAA MEN’S DIVISION I BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT before losing to St. Joseph’s. Paul also broke five Wake Forest freshman records, three-point percentage, free throws, free throw percentage, assists and steals. After his sophomore year, Paul declared for the 2005 NBA DRAFT. The Demon Deacons went 48–16 (.750) in games Chris Paul played in. Paul was ranked second among Wake Forest’s all-time career leaders for 3-point shooting percentage (.469), and 7th in assists and steals.
On March 2, 2013, Paul’s #3 jersey was officially retired during the Wake Forest-Maryland game and hung from the rafters at LAWRENCE JOEL VETERANS MEMORIAL COLISEUM.
Due to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina that summer to the city of New Orleans, Paul did not play his first full season in New Orleans. Instead, the team played in various arenas and relocated to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Hornets only played three games in New Orleans Arena. Paul led all rookies in points, assists, steals, and minutes, earning him the 2006 NBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD. Paul finished the 2005–06 season averaging 16.1 points, 7.8 assists, and 5.1 rebounds. He was also the only unanimous selection to the 2005–06 NBA ALL ROOKIE FIRST TEAM and was named WESTERN CONFERENCE ROOKIE OF THE MONTH every month in the 2005–06 season. After the season, Paul won the ESPY AWARD FOR BEST BREAKTHROUGH ATHLETE. He recorded his first triple-double on April 2, 2006 against the Toronto Raptors with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists. Those with a keen interest in sports betting canada often keep a close eye on the Raptors and, when they sense a win coming their way, they’ll quite happily but a bet on them, liking their chances of getting more back in return!
The 2007–08 season brought the full return of the Hornets to the city of New Orleans. Emerging as a true superstar, Paul averaged 21.1 points and 4 rebounds, and led the NBA in steals with 2.71 per game and assists with 11.6 per game. He was selected by NBA coaches to play in the 2008 NBA ALL-STAR GAME which was hosted by the city of New Orleans. Paul’s teammate DAVID WEST was named as an ALL-STAR RESERVE and Hornets coach BYRON SCOTT coached the WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS. During ALL-STAR WEEKEND, Paul participated again in the 2008 ALL-STAR PLAYSTATION SKILLS CHALLENGE winning the first round but losing in the final round to DERON WILLIAMS. Paul sparked a 4th quarter comeback for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game, but the East held on to win 134–128. He finished the game with 16 points, 14 assists and 5 steals.
Off the court, Paul has achieved success in the sport of bowling and is a sponsored spokesperson for the UNITED STATES BOWLING CONGRESS (USBC). He has participated in numerous celebrity and youth bowling events as the head of the CP3 FOUNDATION, which benefits programs in Louisiana affected by HURRICANE KATRINA, as well as charities in Winston-Salem.
“The drive to win is what gets me out of bed every morning,” explains Paul. “This new scent with Avon will capture the competitive attitude that motivates me to play my best on and off the court.” “Chris Paul is such an incredible role model,” explains MEG LERNER, VICE PRESIDENT AVON NORTH AMERICA MARKETING. “He is truly living the American dream, and he owes it all to his hard work and dedication. The new fragrance represents that commitment and all that he has achieved at such a young age.”
Paul married JADA CRAWLEY on September 10, 2011. The two met and began dating in 2003 while attending Wake Forest together. They had their first child together, CHRISTOPHER EMMANUEL PAUL II, on May 23, 2009. Their second child, CAMRYN ALEXIS PAUL, was born on August 16, 2012. Paul has had national endorsement deals with POWERADE sports drinks, RIGHT GUARD deodorant and NIKE’S TEAM JORDAN brand, through which he has released several editions of his shoe “Air Jordan CP3.#“. As of 2009, the deals collectively earned him around $4 million annually, according to Forbes. In 2007, Paul was the cover athlete for the video game NBA 2K8. In 2005, Chris established the CP3 FOUNDATION, in honor of his late grandfather to provide scholarships for kids to attend WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY. UNTOUCHABLE will launch FATHER’S DAY 2013 and will feature Chris Paul and his son, Christopher Emmanuel II, in the brochure. The fragrance will be available for $25 exclusively through Avon Representatives. To locate an Avon Representative, call 1-800-FOR-AVON or visit www.avon.com. Learn more about Avon at www.avoncompany.com.
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CONTACT: Elizabeth Bergman, Avon Products, Inc., +1-212-282-8197, [email protected]
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