Chris Paul: DEBUTANTE BALLER (ESPN Mag)

[2poor]

Really well-written article in the most recent issue of ESPN's Magazine.

His attitude has started a trend among the NBA's young elite that must make old-school ballers bite their tongues in disgust. The Paul brothers' condos are a virtual bed-and-breakfast for visiting players. Each apartment has a 52-inch flat-screen. Chris' pad has a 20-person sectional; C.J.'s has the billiards and poker tables. LeBron, Rudy Gay, Josh Howard and Jarrett Jack have all been guests of Hotel Paul when their teams were in town. During All-Star Weekend, Parker and Longoria bunked in the spare bedroom. It's a full-service experience: Paul drives his NBA guests to their shootarounds on gameday. Sure, he has to be there anyway for his own pregame prep, but imagine Rodman putting up Oakley for the night or Bird giving Magic a lift to practice. Says Gay: "It's an opportunity to hang out with guys you might not get to see much during the season." When Paul is on the road, he stays with Howard in Dallas and Gay in Memphis. And he's already working on bringing Kevin Durant and Brandon Roy into his fabulous clique by calling them regularly.

Still, when Paul's cell rings, it's usually James on the other end. They met at a high school tournament in 2002 and stayed in touch while Paul was at Wake Forest. James often sends Paul a brief text

[Copperhead]

Nice article. Really nice article.