Chris Paul has always understood something that many learn the hard way: money and style are not the same thing.
In the latest episode of Chime x Complex’s Ball on a Budget series, the NBA legend meets up with host Ashley Nicole Moss to talk style, budgeting, and what it means to move with intention, financially and personally.
The series places Paul alongside multi-hyphenate power players like Teyana Taylor, Hailey Van Lith, Greg Yuna, and Joey Bada$$, all exploring the relationship between personal expression and financial accountability.
Chime’s mission to help everyday people Unlock Financial Progress fits naturally into the conversation, proving that style doesn’t have a price point; character does.
But Paul didn’t just show up with perspective; he showed up with lived experience.
This is a player who has earned nearly $400 million over his NBA career and strategically invested across 29 companies, including Beyond Meat, WTRMLN WTR, PlayersTV, and his newly launched Chris Paul Collective, an investment hub designed to empower ownership across sports, entertainment, and business.
Yet even with his global success, Paul remains grounded in the values that shaped him long before the NBA spotlight.
“I was in college. I had $151 in my bank account… They [agents] asked if I wanted $100,000 of upfront money… My parents said, ‘$25,000 would be enough.’ That day… it said $25,151. Just like that,” Paul on his first major financial moment.
That moment didn’t just change his savings; it changed his relationship to money.
Paul has seen every level of wealth. And he’s seen what happens when people don’t know how to handle it.
“Budgets and talking about money is very important for anyone, not just professional athletes. It can be very overwhelming.”
Paul has long been praised for his effortless, elevated style. But he’s never pretended it was about labels, price tags, or hype.
“You do not have to have money to have style. I think sometimes when you got money, it can absolutely show that you don’t have any style… You got to wear the clothes and not let the clothes wear you.”
What stays constant for him? Jordans. Every era, every locker room, every boardroom.
“My shoes have stayed consistent… No matter what room I’m in, I wear my J’s. People want you to show up as who you are.”
Authenticity over aesthetics. Every time.
When asked what he spends big on, Paul didn’t hesitate:
“Watches… My late grandfather used to wear a gold Twister Flex watch. When I saw this Vacheron, the watch that I have on, it keeps me connected to my grandfather.”
His splurges aren’t about status, they’re about story.
In the episode, Paul is tasked with building a fit for a team dinner with just $300.
He stays under budget and ends up with something timeless, wearable, and very him. “I feel like I stayed under budget and I found pieces that are true to me and my style.”
At this stage of his life and career, Paul is focused on teaching. “Keep learning. You don’t know what you don’t know. The biggest thing is to keep passing along the knowledge… to younger players, but also my family.”
Because wealth is more than income: it’s information. It’s confidence. It’s clarity.
“Time is the most valuable thing. That’s the one thing you can’t budget with.”
Photo Credit: Instagram/CP3
