In August 2013, he was elected President of the National Basketball Players Association.

Though small by basketball standards – at 6 feet (1.82 metres) and 175 lbs (78 kg) –

his skill, speed, vision and defensive ability has made him a much admired player throughout his career. He grew up in North Carolina where he and his brother worked during the summer at his grandfather's garage. He played for two years at Wake Forest University before being selected fourth overall in the 2005 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Hornets.

During his first year the Hornets won 38 games and Paul was named NBA Rookie of the Year. In 2007/08, when the Hornets returned to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, his consistently high level of play won him a place in the All-Star game and the Hornets reached the second round of the Playoffs. He was only beaten in the NBA MVP voting by Kobe Bryant.

Paul moved to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2011 and in his first season he was chosen as a starter for the All-Star game and became the first Clipper to be named in the All-NBA first team since the Clippers moved to Los Angeles. In 2012/13, he was again a starter in the All-Star game, winning the All-Star MVP after scoring 20 points with 15 assists. In July 2013, he signed a five-year deal to remain with the Clippers.

In 2017, he was traded to the Houston Rockets and helped the team win a franchise-record 65 games in his debut season.

As a high school player in 2002, he famously scored 61 points in a game as a tribute to his 61-year-old grandfather, who had recently been murdered. When he reached 61 points, Paul intentionally missed a free throw and removed himself from the game.

An enthusiastic bowler, he has participated in numerous celebrity and youth events as the head of his CP3 Foundation, which benefits people in Louisiana affected by Hurricane Katrina and charities in Winston-Salem, where he was born.