Sixty-One
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4.1 • 66 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Chris Paul, "The Point God," a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team and current point guard for the Phoenix Suns, narrates this compelling memoir. Deeply affected by the untimely death of his grandfather, Nathaniel "PaPa Chili" Jones, Paul recounts the inspiration and influence PaPa Chili continues to play in his life and career.
A powerful and unexpected memoir of family, faith, tragedy, and life's most important lessons.
The day after future NBA superstar Chris Paul signed his letter of intent to play college basketball for Wake Forest, he received a world-shattering phone call. His grandfather, Nathaniel "Papa" Jones, a pillar of the Winston-Salem community where he owned and operated the first Black-owned service station in North Carolina, was mugged and ultimately died from a heart attack resulting from the assault. His funeral filled the largest church in the county, which held over one thousand people. He was sixty-one years old.
The day after burying his grandfather, Chris was coping the best way he knew how: by playing basketball for his high school team. After pouring in shot after shot, his last attempt was an airball purposely flung out of bounds from the foul line before Chris exited the game. The next day, local news headlines declared that he fell six points shy of the statewide single game high school scoring record. But he accomplished exactly what he set out to do: scoring sixty-one points, one for each year of life lived by his grandfather.
In Sixty-One, Chris opens up about life beyond basketball and the role his grandfather played in molding him into the man and father he is today. He’ll speak about the foundation of faith and family he built his life upon, what it means to be a positive light within your community and beyond, and the importance of setting the proper example for future generations. Most importantly, Chris will talk about his home, Winston-Salem, and the close-knit family and village that raised him to become one of the most respected leaders in all of sports.
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press.
Customer Reviews
Great book and a great man Mr Jones
I bought this not because of being a basketball fan but because I grew up 5 miles from Mr Jones’ service station and knew him since I was a child. It was great to learn more about him as the book is much more a tribute to him than a basketball biography. I liked how the past and present were intertwined. It was really good to hear it read in Chris’ voice.
Mr. Jones had to be the most well known and beloved person in that area. Around 1973 when the gas shortage was going on, my dad owned a brickmason company and he would drive down to Northwest Blvd each morning and pick up day laborers who needed work. Because my dad employed a lot of local poor people during an awful recession, Mr. Jones would open up the service station and let my dad fill up his truck, cement mixer, etc. before others showed up and a line formed.
When my mom's car wouldn't start he or Willie (I think called Bo in the book) would come to the house and start it or tow it back to the station if needed for no charge. I didn’t know that Willie was a Vietnam veteran. Maybe my Dad being a Korean War veteran contributed to them always helping my family.
When I was about 18 and broke and traveling to Hampton, VA and Maine to see Grateful Dead shows I had bald tires on my Escort and no money until the tour was over and couldn't pass inspection. Mr. Jones gave me 4 used tires and let me pay him back after I returned from traveling and got a job.
What a great and kind man Mr Jones was and this book is an awesome tribute to him. God bless Chris and his family.
love cp!
i’ve been an avid cp3 fan since 2013. reading (& listening lol) to this book has made me that much more of a fan of his. papa is very proud of you, c! 🤍