Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul has made clear his affinity and respect for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
In July, news broke that he joined on to produce a docuseries about basketball recruiting for the HBCUs.
In the NBA bubble over the last two months, he frequently wore HBCU outfits and ended many Zoom press conference, if not the majority of them, by giving a shout-out to whichever one he was representing that day.
One day it may have been about a family member, like a cousin who went to Florida A&M. On another, it may have been about a professional relationship, like former teammate Mo Williams, who is now the head coach of Alabama State Univeristy’s basketball team. Another day he mentioned Fox Sports’ Shannon Sharpe, a former NFL player who went to Savannah State.
“In doing this, I’ve been able to learn a lot,” Paul said on Aug. 10. “Just trying to bring awareness to … these Historically Black Colleges and Universities that I think a lot of times get overlooked because a lot of times they don’t get the proper funding that a lot of these other schools get.”
Salute to @CP3 for every HBCU he repped in the NBA bubble ✊🏽
CAU
Shaw
FAMU
Spelman
Morehouse
Lincoln
Alabama State
Bluefield State
Hampton
Southern
WSSU
NCCU
Langston
Savannah State
Albany State
Livingstone
Howard
Alabama A&M
NC A&T
Norfolk State pic.twitter.com/nEX1ANfnQA— The Undefeated (@TheUndefeated) September 3, 2020
#ICYMI – Throughout the #NBAbubble , OKC guard Chris Paul (@cp3) was seen wearing apparel & shoes representing various HBCUs! In these pictures, Paul was pictured rocking gear repping Howard, Norfolk State, Bluefield State & FAMU!
🏀 🏀 🏀#chrispaul #nbabasketball #okcthunder pic.twitter.com/AA71o33P91
— HBCU Reunion Weekend (@HBCUReunion) September 4, 2020
Here are some of the other outfits he wore during press conferences. All pictures were taken of the Zoom video:
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- Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Photo: Zoom screen capture)
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- Savannah State University in Savannah, Georgia (Photo: Zoom screen capture)
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- Langston University in Langston, Oklahoma (Photo: Zoom screen capture)
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- Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina (Photo: Zoom screen capture)
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- FAMU in Tallahassee, Florida (Photo: Zoom screen capture)
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- Bluefield State College in Bluefield, West Virginia (Photo: Zoom screen capture)
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- Howard University in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Zoom screen capture)
