Clippers pull a petty move on Chris Paul

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 sustained period of 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.