Chris Paul Opens Up About Alleged Cheating Incident in NBA All-Star Skills Challenge

Team Spurs guard Chris Paul (3) of the San Antonio Spurs competes in the skills challenge during All Star Saturday Night ahead of the 2025 NBA All Star Game at Chase Center.
Team Spurs guard Chris Paul (3) of the San Antonio Spurs competes in the skills challenge during All Star Saturday Night ahead of the 2025 NBA All Star Game at Chase Center. / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
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One of the most amusing highlights of NBA All-Star Weekend this year involved San Antonio Spurs star Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama, who found a loophole during the Skills Challenge competition and ran with it.

Paul and Wembanyama, representing Team Spurs, were disqualified after they exploited the rules and didn't give their best effort at the shooting racks in a clever attempt to save time on the clock. Some called the sneaky move genius; others blatantly called it cheating.

Paul opened up about the moment nearly a month later, telling Bleacher Report's Taylor Rooks that he actually got clearance for his faux shooting tactic before the competition.

"It was an idea, and it didn't work out," Paul said. "They did say that it was OK to do that."

Paul said that the league cleared it before he stepped onto the court, but didn't express any regrets. He also stated it was Wembanyama's idea to do it in the first place, after Wembanyama took ownership for the stunt following the Skills Challenge.

"It's always funny because in a moment like that, everyone's like, 'Ugh, such a Chris Paul move.'" Rooks said.

"One thousand percent," Paul said.

Paul's reputation in the league certainly precedes him.


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Kristen Wong
KRISTEN WONG

Kristen Wong is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. She has been a sports journalist since 2020. Before joining SI in November 2023, Wong covered four NFL teams as an associate editor with the FanSided NFL Network and worked as a staff writer for the brand’s flagship site. Outside of work, she has dreams of running her own sporty dive bar.