How Tall Is Chris Paul and How Does His Height Compare to Other Point Guards?
Over the years that LeBron James has been the best basketball player on the planet, several NBA players have been overlooked thanks to The King’s dominance. One of those players who deserves a ton of recognition is the future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul.
Paul has led multiple teams to significant success and has proven to be one of the best point guards in NBA history while doing it. However, what’s maybe most impressive about Paul’s game is that he has accomplished all that he has while not being one of the tallest players in the league.
So, how tall is Chris Paul, and how does his height compare to other point guards in the NBA?
How tall is Chris Paul and how does his height compare to other NBA stars?
Paul is actually one of the shortest players in the NBA today, as he only stands at 6 feet tall.
Only a handful of current players are shorter than him, as Carsen Edwards, Chris Chiozza, D.J. Augustin, Frank Mason, and Jordan McLaughlin are all 5-11. Tremont Waters, Markus Howard, Jared Harper, and Facundo Campazzo are all 5-10, and Isaiah Thomas is 5-9.
Of course, none of these players are quite as short as former stars like Muggsy Bogues, who stands at 5-3, or Earl Boykins, who is 5-5. But they are still at a disadvantage when going against big men who are 7 feet or taller, or even some of the taller point guards in the league today.
Here’s a look at the heights of some of the other star point guards in the NBA (shorter and taller ones):
- Trae Young: 6-1
- Kyrie Irving: 6-2
- Damian Lillard: 6-2
- Stephen Curry: 6-3
- De’Aaron Fox: 6-3
- Jrue Holiday: 6-3
- Ja Morant: 6-3
- Russell Westbrook: 6-3
- James Harden: 6-5
- Luka Doncic: 6-7
- Ben Simmons: 6-11
Chris Paul hasn’t let his height limit him in the NBA
Despite not being one of the taller guards in the league, Paul has always been one of the most talented throughout his career while playing for the New Orleans Hornets, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Phoenix Suns.
Since coming into the NBA with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft, Paul has been one of the best passers to ever play, as he has led the NBA in assists per game four times. He also won the 2005-06 Rookie of the Year award, has been an 11-time All-Star, and has earned All-NBA honors 10 times.
Paul doesn’t just have a great offensive game, though. He has led the NBA in steals per game six times and has earned All-Defensive Team honors nine times.
Through the 2020-21 season, Paul is averaging 18.3 points and 9.4 assists for his career. He is fifth in league history in career assists with 10,275, fourth in career assists-per-game average with 9.4, and fifth in steals with 2,332.
Is CP3 one of the greatest point guards of all time?
His lack of championships through his first 15 seasons in the league has potentially kept Paul from being discussed as one of the greatest point guards ever, but he certainly deserves to be in the conversation.
He has more assists than Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, Isiah Thomas, Allen Iverson, Bob Cousy, and Jerry West. He averages more assists per game for his career than Thomas, Cousy, West, Iverson, Jason Kidd, and Steve Nash, and he has more steals than all the guys mentioned above except for Kidd. Paul has also scored more than John Stockton, Johnson, Kidd, Nash, Cousy, and Thomas.
Lastly, while he is a little older, Paul leads Stephen Curry in all of these categories, and he leads Russell Westbrook in steals, assists, and assists per game.
Who cares if he didn’t win a championship through the first 15 seasons of his career? Paul has competed with the best of the best, and he has done it at only 6 feet tall.
There’s no doubt about it: Paul is one of the NBA’s point GOATs.
Stats and heights courtesy of Basketball Reference
