Chris Paul's Best PE Sneakers: Ranking His Rarest Player Exclusives

It’s a stark reality, but the NBA players who dominated the 2000s and 2010s are all but out of the league. We have a few holdovers from the drafts of the 2000s, such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Kyle Lowry, among others, but stars with 15+ years under their belts are few and far between. Today, an NBA legend announced his retirement. Sorry Celtics fans, it’s not King James just yet, but Chris Paul.

Even before his announcement today that the 2025-26 NBA season, his 21st campaign, will be his last, CP3 was recognized as one of the greatest players of all time. He was selected 4th overall by the New Orleans Hornets in the 2005 draft, and has secured 12 All-Star appearances, 11 All-NBA team selections, and he even cracked the list of the NBA’s 75 Greatest Players.

Over his entire career, he’s averaged nearly 17 points and 10 assists per game, and he ranks second all-time in career assists with 12,532. Unfortunately, he never secured a championship ring, and with how the Clippers are playing this season, it’s more than likely this won’t happen. Even still, he’s almost a guaranteed lock for the Hall of Fame once he is eligible in 2029.

We’d love to lament over CP3's illustrious career, breaking down some of his highlights on the court with Blake Griffin as part of Lob City, his presence for Team USA in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, the vetoed trade in 2011 that would’ve had him paired with Kobe on the Lakers, or his near-MVP season in 2008, but that’s not what we specialize in. What we really want to do is look at the series of player-exclusive sneakers Chris Paul has received over the years.

Paul signed with Jordan Brand in his rookie season, and two years later in 2008, he launched his first signature sneaker, the Jordan CP3.I. At the time, non-Michael Jordan signature sneakers from the label were rare. Only Derek Jeter and Carmelo Anthony had their own models in ‘08, making Paul the third-ever Jordan Brand athlete not named MJ to get his own shoe. In an announcement for his Jordan CP, Paul stated, "Having my very own sneaker has been a childhood dream. I am thrilled and honored to have this opportunity to launch my first signature shoe with Jordan Brand."

Jordan would release 12 different signature models for Paul up until the early 2020s. Paul debuted the CP3.XIII (CP3 13), but due to COVID-19, the sneaker was never released to the public.

With all of that said, his lifestyle player-exclusives are nearly unmatched. Below, we’ve highlighted our favorite Chris Paul Jordan PEs in no particular order.

Air Jordan 5 Clippers PE

During Paul’s rookie campaign, he wore New Orleans Hornets-themed Air Jordan 5s, continuing this theme on the Clippers in 2013. The pair pictured here is the “Away” version, which comes in a vibrant blue color scheme, red accents, and Paul’s jersey number (3) embroidered on the lateral heel.

Air Jordan 1 Retro Low OG Winston-Salem PE

When he was drafted in 2006, Chris Paul had only finished two years of college at Wake Forest, but he still wanted that degree years later. In 2022, Paul graduated from Winston-Salem State University with a degree in mass communications, and Jordan Brand commemorated the occasion with a special Air Jordan 1 PE. The pair is done in the school’s colors that, at first glance, look like a pair of Chicago 1s. However, the lateral heel comes with Winston’s “W” logo embroidered and the school’s mascot on the tongue tag and insole.

Air Jordan 11 Emerald PE

Chris Paul attended Nike Basketball’s The Academy in June 2015 and was spotted wearing a vibrant emerald-shaded Air Jordan 11 PE. It sent the online sneaker community into a frenzy, especially since getting a Jordan 11 PE is a rarity only reserved for the most elite members of Team Jordan. Shortly after, CP3 took to Instagram to share the inspiration for the 1-of-1 kicks, as the emerald is his birthstone.

Air Jordan 40 Chris Paul Elite Camp PE

Technically this isn’t a lifestyle sneaker, but it is one of the most recent Chris Paul PEs and probably the best-looking Air Jordan 40 seen thus far. This past summer, Paul was running his Chris Paul Elite Camp and was photographed with his floral Jordan 40 that adds a Nike Swoosh to the upper. Not only did CP3 get a pair, but select athletes in attendance went home with pairs.

Air Jordan 13 Hornets Away PE

Alongside wearing Jordan 5s during his time with the Hornets, Paul would also lace up a few different Air Jordan 13 player-exclusives in colors for the home and away jerseys. Luckily, Jordan Brand would release the away colorway of Paul’s AJ 13 in 2015, giving everyone a shot at owning a sneaker once so highly sought after.

Air Jordan 11 Clippers Away PE

Jordan Brand made sure that Paul was strapped in Jordan 11s that matched his teams over the years, including a pair made during his final years on the Clippers. The primarily red AJ 11 featured accenting blue hits on the Jumpman on the collar and the CP3 logo on the heel.

Air Jordan 11 Clippers Home PE

Alongside the Away colorway of his Clippers Jordan 11, Chris Paul had a Home variant to lace up when playing in Texas. The sneaker opts for a white finish across its smooth and patent leather upper, with red details on the Jordan branding details on the tongue and collar, the sockliner, and the heel tab.

Air Jordan 4 Clippers PE

Cross-sport athletes are not as common as they once were, but did you know that Chris Paul has also taken part in Professional Bowling Association events? In 2013 when he hosted the 5th PBA All-Stars Bowling Invitational, he was spotted wearing a Clippers-themed Air Jordan 4 in light blue with red and blue accents. He subtly debuted the sneaker on his Instagram just a few weeks prior in a photo showcasing a set of new Jordans he had received.

Air Jordan 3 Clippers PE

To close out the 2018 NBA season, Chris Paul busted out an unseen Air Jordan 3 Red Cement PE that matched his Clippers uni perfectly. The pair uses red detailing on the elephant print on the toe and heel as well as solid red on the sockliner, collar, and TPU eyelets. The rest of the sneaker is done in traditional white tumbled leather.

Air Jordan 7 Olympic Gold Medal PE

As mentioned at the top of this article, Chris Paul won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. To commemorate his second gold medal victory, Jordan Brand gave CP3 a special version of the Air Jordan 7 Olympic with added gold detailing.

Nicholas Vlahos

Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. When not writing for Sole Retriever, I enjoy watching films and discovering music. Follow me on Letterboxd @nickvlah For tips, reviews, or any shoes in a size 13, email nick@soleretriever.com