CP3's No. 3 Is Changing Hands — and Clippers Fans Are Feeling It

LOS ANGELES — The number is just a number until it isn't. And for the Clippers, No. 3 is basically a monument to Chris Paul.

Now, Bradley Beal is expected to wear it in 2026-27, per the team's online store and a social media hint from Beal himself. The jersey is already listed, and Beal didn't exactly duck the moment.

"He's a legend," Beal wrote. "The HISTORY and BRAND can't be touched, nor erased!!!"

The Backstory Is Messy

Beal, 33, wore No. 3 for his first 13 seasons with the Wizards and Suns. When he joined the Clippers last season, he switched to No. 0 to accommodate Paul, who returned for a short stint. Clippers president Lawrence Frank said at the time that Beal offered the number back to Paul once CP3 landed on the roster.

Paul, 41, wore No. 3 for the Clippers from 2011 to 2017 and again during that brief return. After the Clippers sent him home in December 2025, Paul announced his retirement in February after 21 seasons. He said Frank told him the franchise would eventually retire his No. 3.

Beal wearing it now doesn't block a future jersey retirement. But it does make for one hell of a storyline.

CP3 Didn't Leave Quietly

Paul was blunt about his exit in an interview published last week, calling it "probably one of the most disrespectful things I've endured." That's CP3: no filter, no retreat.

He's still the Clippers' career assists leader, the engine of six straight playoff teams, and the face of the Lob City era with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. That legacy doesn't get vacated by a number swap.

Beal, meanwhile, is betting on a bounce-back. He was limited to six games last season because of injury, then re-signed with LA on a two-year, $13.2 million deal this summer.

So the Clippers are moving forward with Beal in No. 3 — while CP3's shadow still hangs over the franchise. Awkward? A little. Must-see? Absolutely.