Bradley Beal is deferring to his fellow new arrival in Los Angeles this offseason.
The freshly-minted LA Clippers guard Beal had a classy gesture this week for his new teammate Chris Paul. Beal and Paul both just signed with the Clippers in free agency this summer.
Clippers president Lawrence Frank revealed to reporters on Tuesday that Beal has agreed to give up the No. 3 jersey with the Clippers in order for Paul to wear it.
“Brad is such a great guy and an awesome teammate,” said Frank, per Lauren Rosen of FanDuel TV. “He knows what that jersey means to Chris. There’s a reason why he’s CP3.”
Paul also acknowledged the nice gesture from Beal in a post to his Instagram Story on Tuesday (complete with a handshake emoji).
Chris Paul acknowledges Bradley Beal for giving him No. 3 pic.twitter.com/Yzb0CiPZet
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) July 22, 2025
Beal, 32, has worn the No. 3 jersey throughout his NBA career, starting with the Washington Wizards from 2012-23 and continuing with the Phoenix Suns from 2023-25. But the same is also true for the 40-year-old Paul, who has worn No. 3 at every single stop in the NBA with the number becoming an integral part of his identity (as Frank hinted at).
A 12-time NBA All-Star with 20 years of experience in the league, Paul will likely be playing in his final NBA season during the 2025-26 campaign with the Clippers. He has some history with Beal as rivals (they were once even traded for each other), but now it looks like their time together as teammates is off to a very smooth start.
