The Plant-based Point Guard, the Meatless Mamba, these are just some of the names circulating around CP3 also known as Chris Paul - the point guard for the Phoenix Suns who is battling it out with the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Finals.
In the world of basketball, Paul has helped lead his young team to the NBA finals for the first time in over two decades. That’s pretty impressive! And his vegan lifestyle has been in the headlines again since many say his on-court performance is even more impressive after his diet transition from meat to meatless over two years ago.
Besides his leadership on the court, Paul is also trying to get more plant-based products in the hands of communities of color. He recently partnered with online marketplace goPuff to help the platform diversify its plant-based offerings, particularly with products made by Black- and Brown-owned businesses. Through the partnership, Paul and goPuff are providing plant-based snacks, foods, and drinks to visiting NBA teams in Phoenix and to students at the Historically Black Colleges and Universities that Paul frequently works with.
Recently for Juneteenth, Paul teamed up with Slutty Vegan to serve free food to the Atlanta community in celebration of the historic holiday. Each visitor to any of Slutty Vegan's three locations in Atlanta were able to enjoy the vegan burger joint's famous One Night Stand and a side of fries for free.
For the last two years, Paul has been one of the many athletes that have been proponents of having a plant-based diet. He invested in Beyond Meat alongside other NBA stars like JaVale McGee of the Denver Nuggets and DeAndre Jordan of the Brooklyn Nets. Jordan also debuted a new vegan cooking show called “Cooking Clean,” on May 30. In each of the eight episodes, he cooks alongside plant-based chefs, which airs on PlayersTV as the first vegan cooking show. And VegNews recently reported that six-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen launched a new vegan popcorn brand, called Husk.
Studies have shown that Black Americans are almost three times more likely to be vegans than white Americans, yet few brands and platforms focus on marketing and delivering plant-based products to this demographic. To kick off the goPuff partnership with Paul, the company will be providing an assortment of plant-based snack, food and drink options to visiting NBA teams in Phoenix this season.
“While so many people strive to be healthier, finding affordable, plant-based food that tastes great can be challenging,” Paul said on goPuff’s website announcing the partnership. “I’m passionate about the benefits of a plant-based diet and look forward to working with Gopuff to build out their plant-based offerings to include a selection of my favorite brands, many of which are Black and Brown owned, onto their platform today.”
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