9781422287941

Make Connections One of the biggest challenges Chris Paul dealt with as a child was his height. This is something he could not control, no matter how hard he tried. He feared he would not make it as a basketball player, because he wouldn’t be able to reach over other players. In time, he learned he just had to be himself and keep trying. It would pay off one day. Chris writes about this experience in his children’s book, Long Shot: Never Too Small to Dream Big . Papa Chili is one of the main characters in the book.

guard. Point guards help their teammates score by bringing the ball down the court and passing it to someone who is in a perfect position to shoot and score. Sometimes, point guards take shots, too. Point guards need to be fast on their feet and able to think quickly. They are often team leaders, because they need to make decisions for their teammates. And Chris is considered one of the best in the NBA. Chris first discovered basketball as a child. He decided then and there that he was going to join the NBA one day. Chris knew it wouldn’t be easy. Becoming a professional athlete is a lot of hard work. Chris began training early with the help of his father, who happened to be a coach and former athlete. He practiced for hours every day to make himself a better player. Chris was just twenty years old when he joined the NBA draft in 2005. Since then, he has earned multiple NBA and world titles, including two Olympic gold medals. A YOUNG ATHLETE Christopher Emmanuel Paul was born on May 6, 1985, in Lewisville, North Carolina. His parents, Charles and Robin, were childhood friends before they fell in love and got mar- ried. Chris has an older brother named Charles, but everyone calls him C.J., because he has the same name as his father. C.J. is two years older than Chris. Chris’s father was an athlete long before he settled down and had children. His two favorite sports were basketball and football. Growing up, Chris and C.J. learned a lot about sports from their father. Charles was even their coach when they were young. Chris first picked up basketball when he was just three years old. One day, his father bought a pair of plastic baskets and set up a basketball court in the family’s basement. Charles used tape to draw the lines for the court and encouraged his sons to play. Chris and C.J. spent hours in the basement, practicing how to shoot. It wasn’t long before Chris and C.J. both dreamed of playing basketball on a real team. They watched NBA games on television together. Two of Chris’s favorite players

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Big Dreams