"Chris Paul walks into the party like he is walking onto a yacht. Even at a press event, he arrives with his own microclimate of cool — sans the usual hubris. Needless to say, I see a lot of myself in him.

Here are some other things the Clippers' new star and I have in common:

• We're both short

• Both live in L.A.

• Both have a new line of NBA shoe.

My new shoe comes with a protractor, hand sanitizer and a little secret chamber for stashing Band-Aids. I make them in my garage using a glue gun and glitter.

So far, I have sold one pair, to a dude I met walking barefoot down Colorado Boulevard after the Rose Bowl. I think he was just cold and desperate. Now he is merely cool."