Getty Coby White recently came to Chris Paul's defense on social media.
Chris Paul has been one of the NBA‘s best franchise-fixers of the past two decades.
After the now-defunct New Orleans Hornets traded Paul to the Clippers in 2011, Paul quickly reinvigorated the franchise as the Clippers began selling more seats to fans eager to watch “Lob City” over the Lakers for the next six seasons. Moving on from the Clippers in 2017, Paul helped the Rockets win a franchise-record 65 games in his first season in Houston.
He’s working the same magic with the Phoenix Suns that just dispatched the Lebron James-led Lakers in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
But despite Paul’s brilliance, trolls are going to troll.
Bulls guard Coby White recently came to Paul’s defense on Twitter ahead of the 11-time All-Stars expected free agency this offseason.
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White: ‘Keep That BS to Yourself’
NBA fans on Twitter began to sound off on a video of a teary-eyed Paul playing through the pain of a reaggravated shoulder injury during a crucial Game 5 against the Lakers on June 1.
While comments were generally good in nature, White saw ridicule ranging from Paul being a dirty player to an “injury basket” and couldn’t stand by idly.
White & Paul Share Deep Connection
White, a North Carolina native who played for Team CP3 — Paul’s AAU program — has a deep connection with the All-Star guard since he was a teen.
2 🐐’s pic.twitter.com/OhJVvyPefz
— Coby White Nation 🔥 (@WobyNation) June 2, 2021
In 2019, White and former Bulls center Wendell Carter Jr. took a photo with Paul after a three-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Fans responded furiously to seeing the Bulls players posing with Paul after a close loss.
However, the connection between White and Paul is more than just basketball.
White detailed how Paul helped him in his upbringing, via NBC Sports Chicago:
“He’s meant a lot to me,” Coby said of Paul. “When I started playing for CP3 when I was 16, he came to a game and he pulled me aside, and we started talking. He knew about my life, who I was and how I played. He said I played with a chip on my shoulder, and I had something to prove every time I played.
“So after that, he gave me his number, his contact and it just went from there. It’s little things like that. It’s Chris Paul. He doesn’t have to take the time out to text me from time to time or call me and ask me how I’m doing. And I’m still in high school, I’m a high school kid, so that’s a big part. And he played a big part whenever my father died.”
That support extended even beyond Chris, to the Paul family at large.
“He was always there for me, checking in on me,” Coby said. “And his family means a lot. His mom is real close to my mom. His dad came to a game just to see me play this year. He came to Chicago just to see me play. We weren’t playing Chris. [Chris] wasn’t there. [Chris’ father] just wanted to come see me play and check in on me. His dad and mom play a big role and his brother, C.J.
“They’re like a second family. They’re people I can count on. I can go to them for anything. Anything. Chris will help me out with and he’s just somebody I look up to. He’s somebody who will always have my back and be on my side.”
Paul said that he keeps tabs on White whenever he’s not playing.
Chris Paul on his relationship with Coby White and seeing him drop a career-high 35 points tonight. Paul coached White and Wendell Carter Jr. in AAU:
Paul a Possible Free-Agent Target in 2021
Chicago has been in the market for a true floor general over the past season, making several stabs at trading for Lonzo Ball.
Entering a vital offseason for the new regime of Arturas Karnisovas, Marc Eversley and Billy Donovan, finding a point guard could be at the top of the team’s list of priorities this offseason.
The Bulls are in a position to clear a bounty of cap space this offseason and make significant roster-building moves with a new hold on the purse strings.
Paul reportedly plans to opt out of his $44 million player option with the Suns this season in hopes of inking a multi-year deal. If Phoenix makes a deep playoff run, he’ll likely stick with the Suns. However, that shouldn’t stop Paul from hearing out offers from around the league — and Chicago should be one team that dials his line.