Guard Chris Paul. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

12-time All-Star learned he was traded while flying to New York

Future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul found out he was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Washington Wizards on Sunday while flying to New York for his interview on "Good Morning America."

"CP3" recently published his first memoir, titled Sixty One: Life Lessons from Papa, On and Off the Court, which talks about his childhood in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, as well as his relationship with his grandfather (and best friend), Nathaniel "Papa" Jones. Paul's book also dives into his high school and college basketball days -- the latter of which came at Wake Forest University -- as well as his standout NBA career.

The point guard's grandfather was killed during a robbery in 2002 at 61 years old, when Paul was 17. The day after Jones' funeral, Paul scored 61 points in his high school basketball game.

Though the trade hasn't been made official yet, the 12-time All-Star is expected to land in the nation's capital in a blockbuster deal that will see three-time All-Star Bradley Beal join Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and the Suns.

The Wizards will be Paul's sixth NBA franchise and the move seemingly has him taking a step back in his long journey to finally winning his first NBA championship.

Phoenix has made the playoffs in three straight seasons, including an NBA Finals run in 2021 and back-to-back appearances in the Western Conference semifinals. Washington, meanwhile, has missed the postseason in four of the past five years (with a first-round exit in 2021) and hasn't made it past the second round since they were still the Washington Bullets in 1979.

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