Chris Paul won’t have to worry about choosing a number next season as he makes his return to the Los Angeles Clippers. New teammate Bradley Beal has opened the door for “CP3” to continue in what could very well be the veteran’s final NBA season..
Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said Tuesday that Beal, who has worn No. 3 his entire career, offered up the number to Paul, who has also worn No. 3 over his 20 years in the league.
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“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,” Frank said. “So it’s awesome that Brad made such a great gesture like that.”
A similar gesture was made last season when Paul played for the San Antonio Spurs. Forward Keldon Johnson gave up the No. 3 after Paul signed a one-year deal last summer.
The 40-year-old Paul, a future Hall of Famer, also wore the No. 3 while at Wake Forest. He’s played for seven franchises with 1,354 games played and more than 23,000 points scored. He is a 12-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA First Teamer, seven-time All-Defensive First Teamer and a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary team, among numerous other honors.
Paul played for the Clippers from 2011-2017 and is the franchise’s leader in assists and steals per game. He will be in a bench role this time around in LA but can still be productive. He’s coming off a 2024-25 season where he played 82 games and averaged 8.8 points, 7.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
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“Chris was the best guy for the job as long as we all understand what the role is,” Frank said. “There will be nights Chris plays a lot and there will be nights he does not.”