Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul continues to make an impact on and off the floor as his decorated career progresses through the years. As president of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), Paul played a pivotal role in saving the lives of former players by way of the organization's vote to pay for their medical insurance.
The veteran playmaker mentioned that he wanted to give back to the people who trail blazed the path that allowed players like him to succeed in the league.
“I said, ‘Hey, these guys paved the way for us,’ ” Paul said. “And they didn’t have all the resources, all the training, all the training staffs and all that. So those guys played for all that amount of time and now they’ve had to deal with different injuries and things for a lifetime, right? And so when it was first brought up and our executive committee talked about it, it was like, ‘Man, this would be huge. This would be big.’ And I still say it to this day, whenever my tenure is up as president of the union, that will easily be the greatest achievement.”
Before Paul held the position, former players were left on their own to acquire health insurance, as mentioned by Hall of Famer Nate Archibald. He claimed that the players union attempted to raise funds for health insurance back in 1970s. Its failure eventually led his former teammate in Oscar Robertson to go out of his way just to help players have access to these benefits.
Archibald eventually became one of the beneficiaries of Paul's initiative as he attended an NBPA-sanctioned heart screening at 68 years old back in 2016. Despite previous belief of a clean bill of health, his test results diagnosed him with amyloidosis, a protein buildup that prevents the heart from functioning properly.
Two years later, Archibald eventually received a heart transplant surgery which was covered by the NBPA insurance. Harvey Catchings, the father of WNBA icon Tamika Catchings, was also found to have a leaky heart valve which led him to undergo a heart transplant surgery that was covered by the same insurance plan back in 2019.
More former players including Spencer Haywood, Reggie Slater, Otto Moore, Chris Morris, and Howard Smith extended their gratitude for Paul and his projects as the leader of the NBPA. More than being an All-Star-caliber player on the court, the immeasurable impact that Chris Paul had on other people will definitely leave a mark for the rest of their lives.
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