Spurs' Keldon Johnson Makes Decision Following Chris Paul Departure

A brief stint playing with the Austin Spurs during his rookie season saw Johnson deviate from his jersey number; he wore No. 0 while not with "Big Team." But apart from his G League assignments, the forward kept No. 3.

Then came his idol. And the switch.

Johnson Switches Jersey Back to No. 3

"The whole organization felt like he deserved to wear No. 3," Johnson explained of Paul's arrival in San Antonio. "It's a sign of respect."

Despite being the longest tenured Spur, Johnson switched back to No. 0 for a season, allowing Paul to extend his streak of wearing No. 3 to 20 seasons. He didn't mind much.

"In Austin, I wore No. 0," Johnson explained. "It was like going back to my roots. It was an easy choice for me."

Was there a cost associated with the swap? Unclear.

"It's all good," Paul said, laughing, when asked. We figured it out."

Paul played in all 82 games for the Spurs, averaging 8.8 points and 7.4 assists en route to claiming second place on the NBA's all-time assists leaderboard in December. Meanwhile, Johnson assumed a sixth-man role a la Manu Ginóbili. Instead of Eurostep layups, he supplied energy.

"He's the epitome of effort and energy," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said of the forward. "There's no substitute for that. It's infectious. It's contagious. It makes the guy next to you want to get the job done."

With Paul now off to Los Angeles to rejoin his family and the LA Clippers, Johnson is switching back to No. 3, per the team. He'll enter his seventh NBA season in the same jersey he began with.

And he'll match his idol once again.

"I have tons of respect for Chris," Johnson said of Paul."He was one of my role models growing up. He's been nothing but amazing for me."