dmcheatw
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l post this story every few years for the benefit of those who've missed it in the past, so if it begins to sound familiar...keep reading anyway!
Chris Paul
I happen to be the same age as CP3. I never knew CP3 personally but I knew people who played with and against him, and a number of people he associated with back in highschool.
In ‘03, we were all graduating from HS, and traditionally the seniors spend a week at Myrtle Beach. I went to tabor, but the other high schools, such as West, also observe this tradition. Six of my friends and I found a place to stay that was reasonably close to everyone else, on a very short side street. This was before the state banned 190 proof Everclear, so yeah, we were having a great time.
One day, as my friends and I were in the process of rolling a Dutchmaster, we noticed something was happening across the street. Within a few minutes, at least two dozen cars were parallel parked all along both sides of the street. Naturally we crossed the road straight away in anticipation of the only thing that's as good as sex and drugs during beach week: a fight.
We had already observed that there was a basketball half-court behind the house that was directly across from our own. A crowd was amassing around it and growing larger by the minute as friends called friends and everyone--from multiple high schools in Winston--converged on that spot. At this point we were not totally clear on what was happening, but it was obviously something exciting so we, along with our unsparked blunt, sat on a retaining wall that was directly behind and eight feet above the court. We sat down just in time, because within a few more minutes there were easily 200 people there, and those “box” seats would have been taken.
Whispers had been circulating that CP had agreed to play a pickup game with some dudes from up north. Turns out, CP had met a trio of college students on vacation who played ball together for their school. One thing led to another and a wager was made. Those three agreed to play CP and one of his West teammates for 1000 dollars.
I’m told CP proposed the bet, and they took it without hesitation. Now, I can’t tell you what those three college kids were thinking, but they were definitely thinking about how much coke and hookers 1000 dollars could buy in Myrtle Beach, SC.
Fast forward to the game. From our vantage point we had a clear bird's eye view of the court. The whole thing was ringed with people, nearly four deep, all the way around. Some people had the foresight to bring chairs but the only seats you could have actually seen from were our own. The retaining wall was set back from the court by ten feet or so, meaning that we had peoples' heads at our feet as well. The atmosphere was phenomenal. Anticipation was building by the second. Everyone was hyped, everyone was drunk underage, and in five minutes, we were gonna witness a high stakes pick-up game featuring someone who was already at that point a living legend among us. And my roomies and I were gonna see it all from our "box" seats smoking a fat blunt.
The college kids were already on the court, ball in hand, waiting to collect their money. Of course what they did not know, but literally everyone else did, was that CP was headed for the NBA, and not to warm the bench. I have no doubts at some point that fact was mentioned to them before they passed the point of no return, but they must have dismissed it as big talk (how many 17 year olds have you run across who could start in the NBA for any team he felt like? And, would you believe the other 17 year old who is telling you?). What could a bunch of teenagers tell them about basketball that they didn’t already know? And of course, this was three on two.. What could go wrong?
Well, apparently a lot of stuff could go wrong.
Some time passed and, much like a fight, we began to think the rumor was just that; a rumor. Yet before we could get up to cross the street back to our place, guess who showed up?
CP and his colleague had first possession. I assume they shot for it, and CP is what a 93% FT shooter? So uh yeah. As soon as the ball hit the concrete, we lit the blunt. At this point my memory gets a bit hazy but I do remember three things.
Firstly, CP himself drew first blood on that initial possession. Overconfident, defender one immediately went for the steal, which was mistake one. Actually it was mistake two, mistake one was taking a bet against a future all-american, all-star, Olympiad.
Anyway, one crossover between the legs, followed by behind the back, followed by a mid-air shot adjustment got past all three defenders in as many seconds for the reverse layup. I think after that single first possession, I think it was at that point the college guys realized for the first time they might actually have to cut their vacation short.
The next thing I remember was several possessions later CP lobbing the ball from the side of the court to his protégé for the alley oop.
It wasn’t like a two handed Scooter Banks jam, but i mean, he put that shit down.
And--as if that wasn’t enough--the final thing I remember was after the outcome was clearly established, at the top of the key, CP took the ball and bounced it off the defender’s forehead.
In case you didn't get that let me reiterate, HE BOUNCED THE FUCKING BALL OFF DUDE’S FOREHEAD AFTER HE WAS ALREADY DOMINATING TWO VS THREE.
Needless to say, those Northerners lost their 1000 bucks. The funny thing is, those three really DID know how to play basketball. They had the build for it, college level coaching, played together in actual college games, and were older by two or three years. When they managed to rebound and the ball wasn't stolen, they generally did score using spacing, movement and motion in accordance with a team that had a blatant numerical advantage. Plus they behaved perfectly rationally at all times. Sure they were white, but who wouldn't take that bet three on two!? They just didn’t anticipate they were facing someone who, within three years, would be arguably the best player in the National Basketball Association, and, by extension, the world.
I do know for sure those guys never forgot his name or who he was. What I do not know was if CP had a CP3 way or a CP4 way that night, but I would bet 1000 dollars that he did one or the other.
As it turned out, the experience was way better than the fight we were expecting AND the blunt, although you were not wondering, was one of the best I’ve ever smoked.
Chris Paul
I happen to be the same age as CP3. I never knew CP3 personally but I knew people who played with and against him, and a number of people he associated with back in highschool.
In ‘03, we were all graduating from HS, and traditionally the seniors spend a week at Myrtle Beach. I went to tabor, but the other high schools, such as West, also observe this tradition. Six of my friends and I found a place to stay that was reasonably close to everyone else, on a very short side street. This was before the state banned 190 proof Everclear, so yeah, we were having a great time.
One day, as my friends and I were in the process of rolling a Dutchmaster, we noticed something was happening across the street. Within a few minutes, at least two dozen cars were parallel parked all along both sides of the street. Naturally we crossed the road straight away in anticipation of the only thing that's as good as sex and drugs during beach week: a fight.
We had already observed that there was a basketball half-court behind the house that was directly across from our own. A crowd was amassing around it and growing larger by the minute as friends called friends and everyone--from multiple high schools in Winston--converged on that spot. At this point we were not totally clear on what was happening, but it was obviously something exciting so we, along with our unsparked blunt, sat on a retaining wall that was directly behind and eight feet above the court. We sat down just in time, because within a few more minutes there were easily 200 people there, and those “box” seats would have been taken.
Whispers had been circulating that CP had agreed to play a pickup game with some dudes from up north. Turns out, CP had met a trio of college students on vacation who played ball together for their school. One thing led to another and a wager was made. Those three agreed to play CP and one of his West teammates for 1000 dollars.
I’m told CP proposed the bet, and they took it without hesitation. Now, I can’t tell you what those three college kids were thinking, but they were definitely thinking about how much coke and hookers 1000 dollars could buy in Myrtle Beach, SC.
Fast forward to the game. From our vantage point we had a clear bird's eye view of the court. The whole thing was ringed with people, nearly four deep, all the way around. Some people had the foresight to bring chairs but the only seats you could have actually seen from were our own. The retaining wall was set back from the court by ten feet or so, meaning that we had peoples' heads at our feet as well. The atmosphere was phenomenal. Anticipation was building by the second. Everyone was hyped, everyone was drunk underage, and in five minutes, we were gonna witness a high stakes pick-up game featuring someone who was already at that point a living legend among us. And my roomies and I were gonna see it all from our "box" seats smoking a fat blunt.
The college kids were already on the court, ball in hand, waiting to collect their money. Of course what they did not know, but literally everyone else did, was that CP was headed for the NBA, and not to warm the bench. I have no doubts at some point that fact was mentioned to them before they passed the point of no return, but they must have dismissed it as big talk (how many 17 year olds have you run across who could start in the NBA for any team he felt like? And, would you believe the other 17 year old who is telling you?). What could a bunch of teenagers tell them about basketball that they didn’t already know? And of course, this was three on two.. What could go wrong?
Well, apparently a lot of stuff could go wrong.
Some time passed and, much like a fight, we began to think the rumor was just that; a rumor. Yet before we could get up to cross the street back to our place, guess who showed up?
CP and his colleague had first possession. I assume they shot for it, and CP is what a 93% FT shooter? So uh yeah. As soon as the ball hit the concrete, we lit the blunt. At this point my memory gets a bit hazy but I do remember three things.
Firstly, CP himself drew first blood on that initial possession. Overconfident, defender one immediately went for the steal, which was mistake one. Actually it was mistake two, mistake one was taking a bet against a future all-american, all-star, Olympiad.
Anyway, one crossover between the legs, followed by behind the back, followed by a mid-air shot adjustment got past all three defenders in as many seconds for the reverse layup. I think after that single first possession, I think it was at that point the college guys realized for the first time they might actually have to cut their vacation short.
The next thing I remember was several possessions later CP lobbing the ball from the side of the court to his protégé for the alley oop.
It wasn’t like a two handed Scooter Banks jam, but i mean, he put that shit down.
And--as if that wasn’t enough--the final thing I remember was after the outcome was clearly established, at the top of the key, CP took the ball and bounced it off the defender’s forehead.
In case you didn't get that let me reiterate, HE BOUNCED THE FUCKING BALL OFF DUDE’S FOREHEAD AFTER HE WAS ALREADY DOMINATING TWO VS THREE.
Needless to say, those Northerners lost their 1000 bucks. The funny thing is, those three really DID know how to play basketball. They had the build for it, college level coaching, played together in actual college games, and were older by two or three years. When they managed to rebound and the ball wasn't stolen, they generally did score using spacing, movement and motion in accordance with a team that had a blatant numerical advantage. Plus they behaved perfectly rationally at all times. Sure they were white, but who wouldn't take that bet three on two!? They just didn’t anticipate they were facing someone who, within three years, would be arguably the best player in the National Basketball Association, and, by extension, the world.
I do know for sure those guys never forgot his name or who he was. What I do not know was if CP had a CP3 way or a CP4 way that night, but I would bet 1000 dollars that he did one or the other.
As it turned out, the experience was way better than the fight we were expecting AND the blunt, although you were not wondering, was one of the best I’ve ever smoked.
