The legend of “CP3” is set to continue, with Chris Paul confirmed to wear his iconic No. 3 jersey upon his return to the Los Angeles Clippers, Afrosport reports.
Paul has signed a one-year deal to rejoin the Clippers ahead of what could be his 21st—and possibly final—season in the NBA. The 40-year-old has worn the No. 3 shirt throughout his entire career, ever since he was drafted fourth overall by the New Orleans Pelicans in 2005.
There were growing fears of him losing the number to Bradley Beal, who also joined the Clippers this off-season on a two-year, $11 million deal.
Beal, who has only worn the No. 3 jersey in his career across stints with the Washington Wizards and Phoenix Suns, has agreed to hand Paul the number, Lawrence Frank, president of basketball operations revealed.
“He’s worn No. 3 his entire NBA career,” Frank said of Beal on Tuesday. “Three All-Star appearances. I think he scored over 17,000 points in jersey No. 3. But he also knows what that jersey means to Chris and there’s a reason why he’s ‘CP3’. And just the significance of Chris coming back to the Clippers. Brad volunteered giving Chris his number.
“Once Brad heard that it was a possibility that Chris was coming, he said, ‘I want to give him my number.’ And I don’t even think Chris knows this yet. So it’s awesome that Brad made such a great gesture like that.”
Paul’s return to the Clippers marks a homecoming of sorts. He previously spent six seasons with the franchise from 2011 to 2017, and remains the team’s all-time leader in assists and steals per game.
The future Hall of Famer played for the San Antonio Spurs last season, and forward Keldon Johnson gave up his No. 3 jersey in his honour. Paul played in all 82 games with the Spurs, but is expected to come off the bench next season in Los Angeles.
“There’ll be nights Chris plays a lot, there’ll be nights he does not,” Frank said. “Chris is excited to be here, to be part of the group, to help lead the group and to play when called on.
“Chris started 82 games last year and was a very, very productive player. So we don’t take that lightly when you’re taking on a different role. And so there were a lot of conversations, you put everything on the table and get everyone comfortable with it.
“But the fact that Chris wanted to come back, wanted to be at home, wanted to be with the Clippers, we obviously know what his skillset is, but also wanted to make sure the role made perfect sense from both people’s perspective.”
