In coordination with partners the Westport Weston Family YMCA, the Y’s Men of Westport/Weston, and the 06880 Blog, The Westport Library is proud to present NBA superstar Chris Paul, who will join award-winning sports journalist Lindsay Czarniak for an in-depth conversation about his new book, life in the NBA, the importance of family, and much more.
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The event, to be held in the Library’s Trefz Forum, will be livestreamed (The Westport Library Live page, which will show the livestream, can be accessed and found here) and recorded as part of Czarniak’s new podcast, Lunch with Lindsay. Paul will be joining virtually, with Czarniak appearing in person.
After the conversation, members of the audience will have the opportunity to ask Paul questions, with priority being given to kids in attendance.
Signed copies of Paul’s new memoir, Sixty-One: Life Lessons from Papa, On and Off the Court, will also be for sale.
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Chris Paul is one of the elite players in basketball history. A McDonald’s All-American as a high school player in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, he garnered national attention when he made a run at the North Carolina high school scoring record, just five days after his grandfather died of a heart attack during a robbery at the service station he owned and just a day after the community icon was buried. Paul’s last attempt before coming out of the game was a free throw that he missed intentionally, ensuring that he would finish with 61 points, the same age as his grandfather, who he called Papa. It was six points shy of the state record.
Paul stayed close to home after high school, starring locally at Wake Forest, where he led the Demon Deacons to the No. 1 ranking his sophomore year and earned All-America honors. He was the fourth overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets and has gone on to enjoy a distinguished career with the Hornets (2005-11), L.A. Clippers (2011-17), Houston Rockets (2017-19), Oklahoma City Thunder (2019-20), and most recently, the Phoenix Suns (2020-23).
The 2006 NBA Rookie of the Year was the first player in league history to register 20,000 career points and 10,000 career assists, having since been joined only by LeBron James. Paul also is a 12-time All-Star, 11-time All-NBA performer (including four times first team All-NBA), and has finished in the Top 3 of the MVP voting on three occasions. In addition, the all-world point guard won two Olympic gold medals with Team USA, in 2008 and 2012, and was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.
Lindsay Czarniak is an award-winning sportscaster known for anchoring SportsCenter for six years and most recently as a FOX NFL sideline reporter, CBS SRX Racing host, and studio host for NBC’s Summer and Winter Olympic Games coverage.
This year, Czarniak launched her new series Lunch with Lindsay in partnership with Shawn Johnson’s FamilyMade Media network, where she has sat down with icons across sports and entertainment, including country music star Eric Church, NASCAR standout Chase Elliott, and Indy500 champion Josef Newgarden, among others.
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