Chris Paul, the accomplished NBA point guard, has carved out an impressive career marked by numerous accolades. From being named NBA Rookie of the Year to securing multiple Olympic gold medals, Paul has consistently demonstrated exceptional skill and dedication. As he navigated his career into his late thirties, Paul proactively sought ways to maintain his competitive edge, leading him to embrace a plant-based diet and refine his workout regimen. NBA star Chris Paul is teaming up with plant-based beverage brand Koia to bring healthy, nutrient-rich food options to underserved communities across the US.
Chris Paul: A Legacy of Achievement
Standing at 183 cm (6’), Chris Paul has made a significant impact on the NBA. Representing the LA Clippers as a point guard, the North Carolina native quickly rose to prominence, earning the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. His achievements include the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award and two Olympic gold medals. Paul's exceptional playmaking abilities have led him to lead the NBA in assists five times and steals a record six times. He’s been among the highest paid players in the sport and holds endorsement deals with Air Jordan and State Farm.
Beyond his on-court accomplishments, Chris Paul has also held the position of President of the NBA players’ award since 2013. By 2019 Chris was 36 and playing in his fifteenth season in the NBA. Aware he was playing men twenty years younger them him, he felt he was slowing down. In April 2022 he became only the fifth player in NBA history to have five assist season titles. In April 2025 Chris became the first player in NBA history to accumulate 23,000 points with at least 12,000 assists.
Embracing a Plant-Based Lifestyle
In 2019, Chris Paul made a pivotal decision to transition to a plant-based diet. This shift was motivated by a desire to sustain his performance levels and address the physical demands of the sport. “I chose a plant-based life. So far, so good. Not easy. But for me it’s working.” He said “I went cold turkey. I tell you: I was itching. I thought I needed a chicken wing or something. But somehow I made it through.
Paul's transition to a plant-based diet was not without its challenges. He humorously recounted his initial cravings, stating, "I was itching. I thought I needed a chicken wing or something. But somehow I made it through." However, the benefits he experienced quickly outweighed the initial difficulties.
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According to Paul, a plant-based diet has positively impacted his overall health and athletic performance. He has noted improvements in energy levels, recovery time, and a reduction in aches and pains. "I do feel really good," he says. "I think the biggest change for me is the aches and pains of the season. I started working out and training and I got to Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and I thought, am I not lifting hard enough? Am I not training hard enough? Why am I not achy?".
Dietary Choices
Chris Paul's plant-based diet consists of nutrient-rich foods that support his demanding training schedule. Breakfast is often oatmeal, plant-based milk and nut butters. For lunch he often has something with pasta or brown rice. Chris might have a snack of fruit or nuts, or maybe tacos with Beyond crumbled meat. “After every game, Chris will have a Beyond Burger” Seong says.
The famous athlete attributes his improved athletic performance to his switch to plant-based eating. He’s claimed in the past that a plant-based lifestyle boosts his over health and performance, both on the court and at home. Paul’s vegan involvement extends beyond his new partnership with Koia. The athlete invested in Beyond Meat immediately following his public switch to vegan eating.
The Role of a Personal Chef
Luckily Chris is in the enviable position of having a chef. Chris Paul credits his personal chef, Aaron Clayton, with helping him maintain a flavorful and diverse plant-based diet. Clayton's culinary creativity extends to crafting plant-based, gluten-free versions of popular treats, such as fried Oreos and brownie-cookie bars.
Paul can’t remember the last time he had a soda; he stopped drinking them in part because he’s now obsessed with quality hydration. He drinks plant-based protein shakes and smoothies from Koia (he’s an investor in the company) and regularly chugs coconut water. And when he wakes up in the morning and heads to the bathroom, he always checks the color of his urine; deep yellow sends him straight to his fridge. “If I wake up [and] my urine ain’t the right color, I go guzzle a bottle of water,”he says. “You gotta know your body.”
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Clayton, meanwhile, does his best to keep Paul’s diet full of flavor. He’s gotten creative, too, delivering plant-based, gluten-free fried Oreos (“fun,” the chef says) and a vegan, gluten-free brownie and cookie bar that several Suns are now hooked on. “At first my teammates were like, ‘You’re eating grass, eating that bird food,’ and I laugh and it’s cool,” Paul says. “But they see what I’m doing.”
A Comprehensive Training Regime
In addition to his dietary changes, Chris Paul maintains a rigorous training regime to optimize his fitness levels. “I’ve done boxing in the past when I couldn’t do any weight-bearing stuff, and swimming has been key when I’ve had to stay off my legs for injuries” he says. “At the end of the day, it’s all about keeping a routine. It’s just like those people who wake up and go to Starbucks every day and get coffee. In the same way, for me, I don’t feel right unless I get up and go to the gym, work out, and do my shooting routine.
Paul blended his newly detailed fitness approach with a nuanced food strategy. He’d spent the early part of his career downing soda after every game. Then he served as a co-executive producer on The Game Changers, the Netflix doc on plant-based eating. “When I learned that food should be fuel for your body,” he says, “that is when it changed for me.”
Addressing Hamstring Issues
In 2018, Paul sought the expertise of Donnie Raimon at DBC Fitness to address recurring hamstring issues that had plagued his career. Raimon's detail-oriented approach focused on optimizing Paul's movement patterns and strengthening key muscle groups.
When he attempted a deadlift, a key move for building hamstring and glute power, he started the movement by squatting down instead of pushing his butt backward.
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Once Raimon corrected that, Paul was hooked. They continued working together that off-season. By last season, Raimon was programming all of Paul’s workouts, even sending instructions to the Suns staff. He attended every Phoenix playoff game, taking Paul through a 15-minute warmup. “It’s just attention to detail as far as weight training, the way my body moves,” Paul says of Raimon’s approach. “I think my body moves a lot more efficiently than it used to.” He adds that there’s no such thing as off-season now. Sure, he might not actually play basketball for two months, but he’s always training and “making sure my body is right.”
The Benefits of Plant-Based Eating for Athletes
Chris Paul's experience highlights the potential benefits of a plant-based diet for athletes. These benefits include:
- Reduced Inflammation: Paul believes going plant-based helped reduce whole-body inflammation, eliminating the aches he used to battle.
- Improved Recovery: Paul found that it also allowed his body to recover faster after grueling practices and games.
- Increased Energy: Chris also said that it helped him feel more energetic and spirited.
- Better Digestion: For me, being as competitive as I am, I looked at this and I was like: hold up, let me try this out. And I tried it, and the first thing that changes when you go plant based-and it might be too much information-is going to the restroom. It becomes … a lot faster. A whole lot faster, Paul said to Men’s Health.
Chris Paul's Endorsements and Investments in Plant-Based Companies
Chris Paul is also a brand ambassador for vegan company Beyond Meat. He also partners goPuff, which offers a variety of consumer products for quick delivery nationwide. Paul’s vegan involvement extends beyond his new partnership with Koia. The athlete invested in Beyond Meat immediately following his public switch to vegan eating. Alongside the HBCU vending machines, Paul will purchase 50,000 Koia Staw-nana Dream Smoothie to donate to the online grocery platform GoPuff. The donated smoothie drinks will be delivered to GoPuff customers across the US. Earlier this year, Paul teamed up with the company to promote Black-owned businesses suffering from financial offsets caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Testament to Longevity and Adaptability
Chris Paul's late-career resurgence has been credited to his commitment to a plant-based diet and a comprehensive training regime. His story serves as an inspiration to athletes of all ages, demonstrating the importance of adapting to the changing demands of their sport and prioritizing their health and well-being.
Paul’s body has proved over the past two years that it can handle that challenge. And that leaves him unprepared for just one thing: retirement. He says he’ll know when it’s time to go. But for now, why not relish morphing into the NBA’s fittest player? “That’s where I’m so grateful,” he says. “A lot of guys who were my teammates are coaches now.