Chris Paul. Image via: Getty Images
3, the number he wore for six seasons that turned the franchise into a real playoff team, is heading to Bradley Beal for the coming season. With Beal returning to the Clippers for the 2026-27 season, the team plans to give him Paul’s old No. 3, a number the Clippers’ own team store has already listed for Beal heading into the year. Paul spent six seasons building the Clippers into a perennial playoff team during his first stint, then returned for a second run in 2025 that ended badly. When Paul signed with the Clippers in 2025, Beal voluntarily gave up the No.
That contradicts what Paul says he was told. Appearing on Carmelo Anthony’s “7 PM in Brooklyn” podcast, Paul said the organization had promised to retire the number once he stepped away from the game. The Clippers have never retired a single jersey in their history, and Paul, who called his exit “most disrespectful,” says the number now sitting on Beal’s back is proof the team never meant to keep its word. 3 he had worn his entire career so Paul could keep the number tied to his “CP3” identity. Team president Lawrence Frank called it “such a great gesture” at the time, saying Beal wanted to hand over the number before Paul even knew about it.
The Los Angeles Clippers have picked a fresh fight with their own history. Chris Paul’s old No. The decision lands on an organization already reeling from the league’s punishment in the Kawhi Leonard cap circumvention case, and it has reopened a wound from Paul’s messy exit last season. Beal has responded publicly, but the backlash from fans hasn’t slowed down. NBA reporter Etienne Catalan first flagged the move this week. The backdrop makes it worse. He was reportedly informed in the middle of the night that the team was moving on from him, then sent home in December amid claims he was undermining the coaching staff, a characterization he disputed.