Twelve-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul retired earlier in 2026 after a 21-season profession as certainly one of basketball’s most achieved gamers. Nonetheless, the athlete’s affect has lengthy prolonged past the court docket, and he’s not completed but.
Over the past twenty years, he’s solid longstanding partnerships with Nike’s Jordan Model and State Farm, the place his alter ego “Cliff Paul” grew to become an promoting fixture. In 2022, Paul launched plant-based snack model Good Eat’n.
He then opened the doorways to his media manufacturing firm Ohh Dip!!! Leisure (ODEP) alongside his brother CJ Paul in Could 2025. The enterprise focuses on non-scripted and scripted tv, digital, documentaries, commercials, and movies, creating work like The Recreation Changers on Netflix.
In dialog with ADWEEK CEO Will Lee at ADWEEK Home Cannes Lions, Paul mentioned how he’s constructed a legacy that lives past the ultimate buzzer and supplied manufacturers recommendation on getting the most effective out of their athlete partnerships.
Manufacturers shouldn’t simply hand athletes a script
When requested what entrepreneurs are nonetheless getting improper about working with athletes, Paul stated communication was key.
Reflecting on his personal expertise, he stated: “I’ve executed all the pieces you would presumably do. I’ve walked in earlier than, and [had a brand say], ‘Right here’s your script, go stand in entrance of the digital camera and smile.’ [They] don’t understand that a few of these individuals are really creatives themselves.”
He continued: “That’s how I approached it with State Farm. I’m a shopper, I watch quite a lot of TV and commercials, TV reveals. I by no means took an appearing class, however I knew what I wished to see of myself.”
His major takeaway for manufacturers? “Over-communicate with the people who find themselves a part of the staff, as a result of what you suppose is likely to be humorous or cool won’t be the way in which that one particular person needs to indicate up. It’s about communication, back-and-forth. In the event you meet someplace [in the middle], all people might be pleased with the ultimate product.”
Athletes are (rightfully) extra selective about partnerships now
Constructing on his level, when Paul first began out within the NBA as a younger participant, manufacturers would “pay a few $100,000” for an image of a participant smiling and holding their product.
