Chris PAUL

North Carolina-born point guard Chris Paul might end up as one of the greatest players never to win an NBA Championship ring.

The closest he has come so far was in 2021 when the Phoenix Suns went 2-0 up in the NBA Finals, but Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks won four games straight to take the title.

'CP3' was drafted in 2004 by the New Orleans Hornets and promptly won the 2005 NBA Rookie of the Year award.

He made his national team debut at the 2006 World Championships where he was one of a number of players who struggled to show their best form as USA took bronze.

Despite missing the 2007 Americas Championship, he was back in the squad for Beijing after making his first NBA All-Star Game and leading the league with 11.6 assists and 2.7 steals per game for the Hornets. He was also second in MVP voting behind Bryant.

With coach Mike Krzyzewski opting to start with veteran Jason Kidd at point guard, Paul took his opportunities on court by drawing fouls and connecting from the free-throw line with aplomb, most notably in the closing minute of the gold-medal game against Spain.