Chris Paul is stepping into the media business in a way that feels very much in line with the path Kevin Durant has already carved out.
Durant has built a growing footprint beyond the court through Boardroom, the sports, entertainment, and media brand he co-founded. Over the past year, Boardroom has rolled out exclusive interviews with Durant, Aaron Judge, Justin Jefferson, and Jalen Brunson, giving those athletes a space to speak openly about how they see the business side of sports.
Now Paul is joining that same broader lane. This week, he and Genius Sports announced a new athlete-led sports media company that will be powered by programming from Paul and a wider group of athletes. Genius Sports will bring its technology and data into the mix to shape the storytelling.
Paul laid out the vision in a press release.
“The future of sports media belongs to the people who can bring fans closer to the game. Athletes understand the details, decisions and moments that fans don't always get to see. By partnering with Genius Sports, we can combine that perspective with incredible data and technology to educate fans and tell stories in entirely new ways."
Given Paul’s two decades in the NBA, there’s no shortage of material he could draw from. One of the most compelling chapters to revisit would be his 2017-2018 season with the Houston Rockets.
That team won a franchise-record 65 regular season games, and Paul put up 18.6 points, 7.9 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per game. James Harden was the engine of Houston’s offense and the league’s 2018 MVP, but Paul was widely seen as the Rockets’ second-most influential player.
Houston’s run ended in the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors. Paul’s season ended early because of a hamstring injury in Game 5, and that injury was viewed as a major swing point in the series.
The following season brought more of the same steady production from Paul, but not a better finish. The Rockets were knocked out by Golden State in the Western Conference Semifinals, and months later Paul was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook.
There’s still plenty that has not been revealed about Paul’s new venture, but his time in Houston could make for a strong early topic when the first slate of programming arrives later in 2026.
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