'Paul was fun': Remembering the game's lost great a score of years on.
All the Leeds-born talent ever wanted to do was compete on the baize.
A competitive passion, developed at the very young age of three with the help of a tiny snooker set on his parents' coffee table in his Leeds home, would result in a pro playing days that saw him win six major trophies in a six-year span.
The present year marks a score of years since the beloved Hunter passed away from cancer, just days before to his 28th birthday.
But despite the tragic departure of a generational talent that went beyond the sport he adored, his legacy and impact on the game and those who were close to him remain as vibrant now.
'The game was his life': Early Beginnings
"It was impossible to foresee in a million years the boy would become a pro on the circuit," his mother states.
"But he just was passionate about it."
Hunter's father recounts how his son "cared little for anything else" besides snooker as a young boy.
"He never stopped," he adds. "He competed every night after school."
After persistently asking his dad to take him to a local club to play on full-size tables at the age of eight, the young Hunter made the transition from miniature games with aplomb.
His mercurial talent would be coached by the snooker legend Joe Johnson, from nearby Bradford, at a now closed venue in the area of Yeadon.
Quick Success: From Teenager to Champion
With his parents' pleas to do his homework increasingly falling on deaf ears as practice took priority, his parents took the "chance" of taking Hunter out of school at the age of 14 to fully dedicate himself to forging a career in the game.
It proved a masterstroke. Within five years, their still-teenage son had won his first ranking title, the 1998 Welsh Open.
Considered one of snooker's most difficult competitions to win because of the involvement of only the top competitors, Hunter won three times, in 2001, 2002 and 2004.
'A Cheeky Charm': The Man Behind the Cue
But for all his success on the table, away from the game Hunter's down-to-earth charisma never deserted him.
"His demeanor was excellent did Paul," Alan says. "He was liked by everybody."
"Upon meeting him you'd enjoy his company," Kristina states. "He brought joy. He'd make you comfortable."
Hunter's partner Lindsey, with whom he had a daughter, describes him as an "incredible, lively, and kind spirit" who was "witty, generous" and "never the first to depart from the party".
With his easy charm, youthful appearance and honest interview style, not to mention his considerable talent, Hunter quickly became snooker's leading figure for the new millennium.
No wonder then, that he was nicknamed 'The Snooker World's Beckham'.
Courage in Crisis: A Fight Against Cancer
In 2005, a year that should have marked the height of his career, Hunter was found to have cancer and would later undergo cancer therapy.
Multiple stories from across the professional tour attest to the man's extraordinary commitment to honor obligations to charity matches, tournaments, and media duties, all while undergoing treatment.
Despite difficult symptoms, Hunter played on through the illness and received a rapturous applause at The famous Sheffield venue when he competed in the World Championships that year.
When he died in autumn 2006, snooker's tight community lost one of its most popular brothers.
"It's awful," Kristina says. "It is a terrible thing for any mum and dad to suffer such a loss."
An Enduring Legacy: The Paul Hunter Foundation
Hunter's true legacy would be felt not in palaces and castles but in community venues across the UK.
The foundation he inspired, set up before his death, would provide free snooker sessions to young people all over the country.
The initiative was so successful that, according to reports, anti-social behavior in some areas dropped significantly.
"The idea was for a program to help offer a constructive activity," one coach said.
The Foundation helped lay the groundwork for a major coaching programme, which has opened up playing opportunities to children internationally.
"It would have thrilled him what we've done with the sport and where it is today," a chairman in the sport stated.
Forever in Memory: 20 Years Later
Historic matches of their son's matches online help his parents stay "connected to him".
"I can access it and I can watch Paul at any moment," Kristina says. "It's marvellous!"
"We are happy to speak about Paul," she adds. "Before it would be tears, but I'd rather somebody remember him than him not be spoken of."
Even though he never won the World Championship, the common opinion that Hunter would have secured snooker's ultimate trophy is etched into the sport's history.
The Masters, the competition with which he is most synonymous, starts later this month. The winner will lift the memorial cup.
But for all his successes, a generation after his death it is Paul Hunter's personality, as much his spectacular skill with a cue, that will ensure he is forever celebrated.