Morehouse College will welcome Chris Paul as its keynote speaker for the school’s 142nd commencement on Sunday, May 17, 2026, at 9 a.m. on the Century Campus, putting one of basketball’s most recognizable figures at the center of a ceremony that will also honor leaders tied to business, ministry and long service to the college.
Paul, a 12-time NBA All-Star and two-time Olympian who is also known as a philanthropist and entrepreneur, will receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters. Morehouse also said Chris Womack, the chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company, and the Rev. Dr. Lawrence Edward Carter Sr., the retiring founding dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel, will receive honorary degrees.
Paul said he was honored to speak at Morehouse and said he has deep respect for the college’s legacy and its impact on the community, especially on generations of young Black men. He said following in the footsteps of previous commencement speakers, including presidents, civil activists and learned figures, shows that greatness is measured not just by performance but by character, consistency and commitment to community.
The speech will cap a week of undergraduate and alumni reunion events and come as the college celebrates the Class of 2026 and milestone alumni anniversaries. Morehouse said the honorary degree recipients reflect a legacy of stewardship, ethical leadership, public service and societal impact.
Carter’s recognition carries its own weight. He is set to retire this summer after 47 years of consecutive service to Morehouse, a stretch that helped shape the college’s spiritual and ceremonial life. Womack, who joined Southern Company in 1988, now leads a company that serves six states, nine million customers and has pledged $50 million in support.
The ceremony gives Morehouse a familiar kind of spotlight: a graduation stage that doubles as a statement about the values it wants its students to carry into the world. For Paul, it is also another reminder that his public life has moved well beyond the court, a point that has followed him through moments of triumph and through the latest chapter of his basketball story, including the kind of hard turns that once again drew attention in his split with the Clippers.