Chris Paul, perhaps as well as he knows how to read a defense, knows how to read a room. It explains why he so often finds himself in charge.

Paul was a three-time high school class president because he understood what his constituents craved.

“What really sold it for me my sophomore and junior year was the day of election,” Paul said. “I was at the top of the breezeway with fresh Krispy Kreme donuts.”

Paul laughed as he told the story in front of a packed chapel at Wake Forest in the fall of 2017. He was invited to speak at his alma mater in a leadership series that had featured politicians, religious leaders and CEOs.