Phoenix Suns Point Guard and NBA All-Star Chris Paul, announced he was graduating today from the HBCU Winston-Salem State University. Not making commencement only about his accolades, Paul gave the gift of career advancement and financial literacy to each of his fellow graduating peers.

“As someone with a deep passion for HBCUs, I am proud to be graduating from Winston-Salem State and also excited to partner with Greenwood to provide a graduation gift to each of my classmates,” Paul said. “Career development and financial planning are key next steps in the future for these graduates. This Greenwood Elevate membership will help them grow in the right direction.”

In 2022, Paul enrolled to pursue a bachelor’s degree in communications.

Paul’s foundation, the Chris Paul Family Foundation, collaborated with Greenwood, the digital banking platform for Black and Latino individuals and businesses.

The gift grants each graduate a yearlong Greenwood Elevate membership and a Greenwood account with a $100 deposit for a total value of $2,500 per graduate. Greenwood Elevate allows Black and Latine individuals to manage their finances while also taking in what the community offers them.

Paul celebrated his NBA win vs. the Clippers along with his college graduation. Paul was asked about the celebratory back-to-back moments on Thursday and explained that he was looking forward to having downtime with his wife and kids.

“Man it’s cool, I’m excited, Long time coming,” Paul said. “To be able to go back home and do that with my family is something that snuck up kinda quick, but I’m probably most excited that I get to spend the next 10 days with my wife and my kids.”

Ryan Glover, Greenwood’s Chairman and co-founder, said he’s delighted that Paul has decided to give back to his Winston-Salem peers.

“This gift from Chris is deeply aligned with our support of Black institutions, including HBCUs and our mission of empowering the Black community through career development and financial literacy,” Glover said. “We’d like to congratulate Chris Paul and his classmates on earning their degrees and thank Chris for giving back to everyone in the Winston-Salem State graduating class.”

Paul began pursuing a bachelor’s degree in 2003 at Wake Forest but decided to leave for the NBA after two years. Paul was the number four selection in the 2005 draft.

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