Everything the young snooker player ever wanted to do was play snooker.
A sporting bug, developed at the tender age of three with the help of a tiny snooker set on his home's central table in the city of Leeds, would lead to a pro playing days that saw him claim six significant titles in a six-year span.
Now marks two decades since the popular Hunter passed away from cancer, mere days prior to his birthday marking 28 years.
But despite the tragic departure of a generational talent that went beyond the sport he adored, his influence and memory on snooker and those who knew him remain as powerful today.
"It was impossible to foresee in a lifetime Paul would become a pro on the circuit," Kristina Hunter recalls.
"Yet he just loved it."
His dad remembers how his son "wasn't bothered about anything else" other than snooker as a youth.
"His dedication was constant," he notes. "He would play every night after school."
After successfully badgering his dad to take him to a local club to play on regulation tables at the age of eight, the budding player made the transition from home play with aplomb.
His mercurial talent would be developed by the 1986 World Champion Joe Johnson, from nearby Bradford, at a now closed venue in the Leeds district of Yeadon.
With his family's urging to do his homework often being ignored as practice took priority, his parents took the "chance" of taking Hunter out of school at the fourteen years old to fully focus on carving out a career in the game.
It paid off in spades. Within half a decade, their young son had won his initial major win, the Welsh Open of 1998.
Considered one of snooker's toughest events to win because of the lineup featuring exclusively the best, Hunter was victorious a trio of times, in consecutive years.
But for all his triumphs in the sport, away from the game Hunter's down-to-earth charisma never faded.
"His demeanor was excellent did Paul," Alan says. "He connected with everybody."
"When encountering him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina continues. "He was enjoyable. He'd make you relaxed."
Hunter's wife Lindsey, with whom he had daughter Evie, describes him as an "amazing, young cheeky beautiful soul" who was "witty, generous" and "always the last to leave the party".
With his effortless appeal, handsome features and straight-talking media manner, not to mention his immense skill, Hunter quickly became snooker's poster boy for the new 21st Century.
No wonder then, that he was christened 'A Sporting Icon'.
In 2005, a year that should have been the peak of his powers, Hunter was told he had cancer and would later undergo aggressive treatment.
Multiple anecdotes from across the professional tour attest to the man's extraordinary commitment to honor obligations to charity matches, tournaments, and media duties, all while going through treatment.
Despite difficult symptoms, Hunter continued to compete through the illness and received a standing ovation at The World Championship arena when he competed in the World Championships that year.
When he died in autumn 2006, snooker's family-like circuit lost one of its most popular brothers.
"It's awful," Kristina says. "It is a terrible thing for any mum and dad to go through that pain."
Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in high society but in snooker halls and clubs across the UK.
The foundation he inspired, set up before his death, would provide free snooker sessions to children all over the country.
The initiative was so successful that, according to reports, issues with young people in some areas plummeted.
"The aim remained for a program to help offer a constructive activity," one organizer said.
The Foundation helped lay the groundwork for a major coaching programme, which has provided playing opportunities to children all over the world.
"Paul would have loved what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a leading figure in the sport stated.
Classic footage of their son's matches online help his parents stay "in touch with his memory".
"I can access it and I can watch Paul at any moment," Kristina says. "It's a comfort!"
"We are happy to speak about Paul," she continues. "At first it was sad, but I'd rather somebody talk than him not be mentioned at all."
Although he never won the World Championship, the highly probable notion that Hunter would have gone on to lift snooker's greatest prize is etched into the sport's legend.
The Masters, the competition with which he is most synonymous, begins later this month. The winner will lift the trophy named in his honor.
But for all his successes, a generation after his death it is Paul Hunter's spirit, as much his brilliant talent on the table, that will ensure he is always remembered.
A passionate gamer and strategy enthusiast with years of experience in competitive gaming and content creation.
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