The feud between Chris Paul and the LA Clippers is continuing well into the former’s retirement.
The Clippers decided this week to pull a petty move on their former star Paul. With Bradley Beal returning to the Clippers for the 2026-27 season, the team will be giving Paul’s old No. 3 jersey to Beal (according to NBA reporter and jersey number specialist Etienne Catalan).
The news quickly sparked backlash from fans. For his part, Beal responded to the uproar in a post to his X page, saying that Paul was a “legend” and that his impact would never be erased.
He’s a legend!
— Bradley Beal (@RealDealBeal23) September 10, 2026
The HISTORY and BRAND can’t be touched, nor erased!!!
Of course, the whole controversy has nothing to do with Beal (who wore No. 3 for his first 13 career seasons but switched to No. 0 for the Clippers last season during a brief stint as teammates with Paul). Instead, it has everything to do with Paul, who quickly went from Clippers icon to discarded afterthought.
Nicknamed “CP3” due to his iconic jersey number, Paul is arguably the single greatest Clipper ever. After arriving in 2011, Paul ushered in the longest period of sustained winning in Clippers franchise history (also making five All-Star teams, five All-NBA teams, and six All-Defensive teams along the way in Los Angeles).
But upon returning to the Clippers for a second stint in 2025, Paul was treated poorly by the team. In December, Paul was abruptly sent home and accused by the Clippers of undermining the coaching staff. Paul disputed that characterization though and claimed that the Clippers had pulled two-faced moves on him instead.
Just a few days ago, Paul spoke out about his Clippers exit, calling it “most disrespectful.” While the Clippers have still never retired a single player’s jersey in their franchise’s history, that disrespect is continuing this week with the team giving away Paul’s iconic number at the first opportunity that they got.
