Brandon Stephan Paul (born April 30, 1991) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for

Elan Chalon Elan or Élan may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters *Elan (Order of the Stick), in the webcomic ''The Order of the Stick'' * Elan (Dungeons & Dragons), a race in ''Dungeons & Dragons'' * Elan (Star Wars Legends), a ''Star Wars ...

of the French

LNB Pro A LNB may refer to: Sport * Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, a professional basketball league in the Dominican Republic * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol, an Argentine basketball league * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol (Paraguay), Liga Nacional de Básquetb ...

. During his senior year at

Warren Township High School Warren Township High School (WTHS), or Warren, is a public four-year high school located in Gurnee, a northern suburb of Chicago, in Lake County, in Illinois. Because of size of the student body, the school is split across two campuses: the O'Pl ...

, Paul was named Illinois Mr. Basketball for 2009. Paul played college basketball for the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

and became only the second player in program history to record 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists and 100 steals.

High school career

Paul played for Warren Township High School. In high school, Paul was named a member of the 2009 Illinois All-American Team as selected by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

, ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'', ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

'', '' News-Gazette'', and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association. After his senior season Paul was named Illinois Mr. Basketball for 2009, narrowly edging out his future

teammate

Jereme Richmond Jereme Richmond (born March 13, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for Obras Sanitarias of the Liga Nacional de Básquet. Richmond was considered a top 25 recruit and #4 at his position in the 2010 class. He played college bask ...

College career

Entering the University of Illinois during the 2009–10 season, Paul quickly became a key contributor, as he averaged 7.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per game in 18.9 minutes per game. As a sophomore, Paul played in all 34 games for the 2010–11 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team. He averaged 22.4 minutes of playing time and continued as a key contributor. He averaged 9.0 points per game and reached double-figures in 13 games. Paul led his team in steals, averaging 1.1 per game, and was second in assists, averaging 2.1 per game. On February 13, 2011, Brandon scored a season-high 23 points in a 71–80 Illini loss to Purdue. John Shurna attempts to defend against Brandon Paul January 23 2010

John Shurna attempts to defend against Brandon Paul January 23 2010

In his junior year, Paul earned the role of a full-time starter for the 2011–12 season. On January 10, 2012, Paul scored 43 points in an upset win over then ranked #3 Ohio State. It was the third highest scoring total in a single game by an Illinois men's basketball player while his eight three-pointers tied the school record. As a senior, Paul led Illinois to win the

Maui Invitational Tournament The Maui Invitational is an annual early-season college basketball tournament that takes place Thanksgiving week, normally in Lahaina, Hawaii, at the Lahaina Civic Center on the island of Maui. It is hosted by Chaminade University of Honolulu, ...

title in 2012 with a win over

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...

in the championship game. Paul was named Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament. During his senior season, Paul averaged 16.6 points a game over the course of 36 games. On March 14, 2013, Paul hit a game winning shot against Minnesota in the 2013 Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament. After graduating, Paul became just the second Illini player to reach career milestones of 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists and 100 steals and finished his college career as the eighth-leading scorer in school history with 1,654 points.

Professional career

Nizhny Novgorod (2013–14)

After going undrafted in the

2013 NBA draft The 2013 NBA draft was held on June 27, 2013, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including internation ...

, Paul joined the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

for the

2013 NBA Summer League The 2013 NBA Summer League is a pro basketball league run by the NBA just after the 2013 NBA draft. It gives newly drafted players a chance to test their skills against each other, and to give them a feel for professional basketball. All 30 NBA ...

. On August 10, 2013, Paul signed with

Nizhny Novgorod Nizhny Novgorod ( ; rus, links=no, Нижний Новгород, a=Ru-Nizhny Novgorod.ogg, p=ˈnʲiʐnʲɪj ˈnovɡərət, t=Lower Newtown; colloquially shortened to Nizhny) is a city and the administrative centre of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast an ...

of Russia for the 2013–14 season. In early February 2014, he left Russia after experiencing racism and a difficult language barrier. Paul returned to the United States after playing in 12 games and averaging 6.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.5 steals in 13.8 minutes per game.

Canton Charge (2014–15)

On February 27, 2014, he was acquired by the

Canton Charge The Cleveland Charge are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Cleveland, and are affiliated with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Since 2024, the team plays its home games at Public Auditorium in downtown Cleveland, thoug ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

. On March 14, 2014, he was waived by the Charge due to a season-ending injury. On November 2, 2014, Paul was reacquired by the Canton Charge. On April 4, 2015, he was placed on the inactive list for the remainder of the season due to injury, and was waived two days later.

Joventut Badalona (2015–16)

On September 14, 2015, Paul signed with Spanish club FIATC Joventut. He started 25 of 33 games and led the team in scoring with 13 points per game.

Anadolu Efes (2016–17)

After playing for the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

and the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

during the

2016 NBA Summer League The 2016 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA): the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. Ten teams participated in the week ...

, Paul signed with the 76ers on July 25, 2016, but was waived on October 24 after appearing in four preseason games. On December 13, 2016, he signed with Turkish club

Anadolu Efes Anadolu Efes Spor Kulübü, commonly referred to as Anadolu Efes or simply Efes, is a Turkish professional basketball team based in Istanbul. Founded in 1976, the club was formerly known as Efes Pilsen until 2011. Efes is the 2021–22 EuroLeagu ...

for the rest of the 2016–17 season.

San Antonio Spurs (2017–2018)

In July 2017, Paul joined the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

in Orlando and the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

in Las Vegas for the 2017 NBA Summer League. During summer league play, Paul averaged 15.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.7 steals per game on 47.12% shooting from the field. On July 14, 2017, he signed with the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. Paul had his debut in NBA on October 18, 2017, coming off the bench in a 107–99 win over the

. On October 30, 2017, Paul scored team-high 18 points with five rebounds, in a 108–94 loss to the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

. On April 19, 2018, Paul made his debut in

NBA playoffs The NBA playoffs is the annual Playoffs, postseason Tournament#Knockout tournaments, tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA) held to determine the league champion. Since 1949, the four-round, best-of-seven tournament is held afte ...

, coming off from bench with an assist and a rebound in a 110–97 loss to the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

. On July 31, 2018, the Spurs waived Paul.

Zhejiang Golden Bulls (2019)

Paul signed with the

Zhejiang Golden Bulls The Zhejiang Golden Bulls are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Yiwu, Zhejiang, China. It competes in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), in the Southern Division. Its corporate sponsor is Zhejiang Chouzhou Commercial Bank. ...

of the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier men's professional basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

(CBA) on December 28, 2018. Paul made his CBA debut on January 4, scoring 40 points with eight rebounds, five assists and three steals in a 104–93 win over the

Jilin Northeast Tigers The Jilin Northeast Tigers () or Jilin Tonggang, Jilin Tonggang Northeast Tigers () or Jiutai Rural Commercial Bank are a professional basketball team based in Changchun, Jilin, China, which plays in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball A ...

. Five days later on January 9, Paul made his first triple-double in CBA, scoring 51 points with 17 rebounds, 11 assists and four steals in a 111–105 win over the

Fujian Sturgeons Fujian SBS Xunxing Sturgeons (Simplified Chinese: 福建SBS浔兴鲟) or Fujian Xunxing or Fujian SBS are a Chinese professional men's basketball team in the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Jinjiang, Quanzhou, Fujian. The "SBS" reflects c ...

Olympiacos (2019–20)

On July 6, 2019, Paul signed a two-year deal with the Greek

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

club

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...

, Paul was released by

on June 30, 2020.

Adelaide 36ers (2021)

On February 18, 2021, Paul signed with the

Adelaide 36ers The Adelaide 36ers are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in the state's capital of Adela ...

of the Australian National Basketball League for the remainder of the

2020–21 NBL season The 2020–21 NBL season was the 43rd season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of nine teams contested in the 2020–21 season. The regular season was played between January and June 2021, followed by a ...

. He made his debut for the 36ers with a 25-point performance against the

Perth Wildcats The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Perth Arena, ...

on March 14, 2021.

Joventut Badalona (2021)

On July 10, 2021, Paul signed with the

Club Joventut Badalona Club Joventut Badalona, S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional basketball club based in Badalona, Catalonia, Spain, playing in the Liga ACB and the EuroCup. Known to their fans as ''La Penya'' (in English, ''The Club''), it is one of only two team ...

of the Spanish

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

a one-year deal.

ratiopharm Ulm (2022–2023)

On December 8, 2022, he signed with

ratiopharm Ulm Ratiopharm Ulm, officially stylized as ratiopharm ulm, is a professional basketball club based in Ulm, Germany. The club has two teams, one professional team, which plays in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the major German professional league an ...

of the German

Basketball Bundesliga The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the German basketball league system, highest level Sports league, league of professional club basketball in German ...

(BBL). He was a regular contributor during Ulm's championship run in the

2022–23 Basketball Bundesliga The 2022–23 Basketball Bundesliga, known as the easyCredit BBL for sponsorship reasons, was the 57th season of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the top-tier level of professional club basketball in Germany. It ran from 28 September 2022 to 16 J ...

season.

Budućnost VOLI (2023–2024)

On September 23, 2023, he signed with Budućnost VOLI of the

Prva A Liga The Prva A liga, for sponsorships reasons named the Erste Liga, is the top-tier professional basketball league in Montenegro. It is the highest basketball division organized by the Basketball Association of Montenegro (KSCG). It was established in ...

JL Bourg (2024–2025)

On July 5, 2024, he signed with

JL Bourg Jeunesse Laïque de Bourg-en-Bresse, commonly known as JL Bourg or simply Bourg, is a basketball club based in Bourg-en-Bresse, France that plays in the LNB Élite, the national top division. Their home arena is Ekinox, which has a capacity of 3, ...

of the

Elan Chalon (2025-present)

On February 24, 2025 Paul signed with

Élan Chalon Élan Sportif Chalonnais, commonly known as Élan Chalon, is a French professional basketball club that is based in Chalon-sur-Saône, France. The team's main colors are red and white, and their mascot is a moose. The team's home arena is called ...

LNB Élite The LNB Élite, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Betclic Élite, is a professional basketball league in France and is the highest level of the French basketball system. The competition has existed since 1921. Since 1987, the Ligue Nat ...

Player profile

Standing and weighing , Paul has a

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

of and primarily plays off the ball on offense as a

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game ...

. Paul is known as a quick, athletic guard who is able to defend against

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the Basketball positions, five positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position and is usually the shortest player ...

s, shooting guards, and

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three, is one of the five Basketball position, positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than Power forward (basketball), power forwards and Cent ...

Personal life

Paul is the son of Cliff Sr. and Lynda Paul. His mother Lynda played college basketball for

Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State or BSU) is a public research university in Muncie, Indiana, United States. The university has three off-campus centers in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, and Fishers, Indiana. The university is composed of seven aca ...

and coached Paul's

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

(AAU) basketball team, the Illinois Hoopstars Paul's father, Cliff Sr., is police officer and a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

veteran who served 13 years in the service. After the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

in 2001, Cliff Sr. was stationed in Spain for six months. His dad also played semi-professional football with the Racine Raiders. He has two brothers, Cliff Jr. and Darius Paul. Darius played one season for Western Michigan before transferring to Illinois for the 2013–14 season as a redshirt sophomore.

Career statistics

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2009–10 , style="text-align:left;",

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, 36 , , 15 , , 18.9 , , .333 , , .279 , , .644 , , 3.1 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .1 , , 7.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

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, 34 , , 10 , , 22.4 , , .399 , , .361 , , .767 , , 3.1 , , 2.1 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 30 , , 33.4 , , .392 , , .333 , , .727 , , 4.7 , , 2.9 , , 1.4 , , .8 , , 14.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 36 , , 35 , , 32.0 , , .401 , , .325 , , .738 , , 4.4 , , 2.7 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , 16.6 , -

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, 23 , , 14 , , 17.2 , , .340 , , .415 , , .703 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 8.6 , , 5.8

NBA

Regular season

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San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, 64 , , 2 , , 9.0 , , .433 , , .278 , , .512 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .4 , , .1 , , 2.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 64 , , 2 , , 9.0 , , .433 , , .278 , , .512 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , .4 , , .1 , , 2.3

Playoffs

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2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

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, 1 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 0.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 1 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 0.0

High school career

College career

Professional career

Nizhny Novgorod (2013–14)

Canton Charge (2014–15)

Joventut Badalona (2015–16)

Anadolu Efes (2016–17)

San Antonio Spurs (2017–2018)

Zhejiang Golden Bulls (2019)

Olympiacos (2019–20)

Adelaide 36ers (2021)

Joventut Badalona (2021)

ratiopharm Ulm (2022–2023)

Budućnost VOLI (2023–2024)

JL Bourg (2024–2025)

Elan Chalon (2025-present)

Player profile

Personal life

Career statistics

College

EuroLeague

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links