The 2005 Draft: The Fourth Pick That Answered New Orleans
At the 2005 NBA Draft, Chris Paul was selected 4th overall by the New Orleans Hornets. Ahead of him were Andrew Bogut, Marvin Williams and Deron Williams—years later, Paul stands as the most durable and influential player of that class.
Paul came out of Wake Forest, where in three seasons he turned a mediocre team into an ACC contender. His college career ended with a heartbreaking note: after his father was killed in a robbery, Paul played through the grief in the NCAA tournament—a resilience that has defined his basketball DNA ever since.
In his first Hornets season, Paul showed a maturity beyond his age. He averaged 16.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 7.8 assists and 2.2 steals—Rookie of the Year, an All-Star nod and All-Rookie First Team. For a 6-foot rookie to lead the league in steals, the weapon was anticipation, hand speed and attitude, not height.
The 2007-08 season was Paul's first explosion: 21.1 points, 11.6 assists and 2.7 steals per game, lifting the Hornets from doormat to 56 wins and a second-place MVP finish. In the West semifinals Game 7, he dropped 31 on the Spurs—a loss, but a statement. For the first time, Hornets fans believed they had a future.
That 4th pick shaped nearly two decades of league history—a "point guard textbook" era that quietly began in New Orleans.
