Clippers fans go rabid after Bradley Beal seemingly chooses Chris Paul's No. 3 jersey

A huge deal of respect is given to a star who reinvigorates a franchise. For a long while, the duo of Chris Paul and Blake Griffin did exactly that for the Los Angeles Clippers. These two are still held in high regard even after Paul George and Kawhi Leonard came to the team. That is exactly why a lot of NBA fans went rabid after seeing what number Bradley Beal picked for the 2026-27 NBA season.

'CP3' is the moniker many NBA fans have stuck with when referring to Chris Paul. He wore that number during his early days of unexpected dark horse runs with the Charlotte Hornets. He carried it into his time with the Clippers and Houston Rockets. At one point, he even reached the NBA Finals with the Phoenix Suns while wearing it.

Even in the twilight years of his career, Paul was carrying the No. 3 jersey with him. He wore it while representing the Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, and even when he came back to the Clippers for 16 games before calling it a career.

All of these are why Clippers and NBA fans are mad about Bradley Beal's choice. See, it was just announced that the 14-year veteran would don the No. 3 despite knowing the history behind it.

"Outside of being told it would be retired, giving Bradley Beal of all people the number is just down right disrespectful," a fan declared

Another fan even rationalized why this was such a bad choice from the organizational and player perspectives: "It's really curious that the Clippers allowed Bradley Beal to wear the number 3 jersey right after Chris Paul's retirement. Normally, teams advise players not to wear the numbers of recently retired legends who have a good shot at being immortalized. Just a reminder that CP3 was shipped out by the Clippers in the middle of the night during his last season in the NBA, and he'd come back to the team precisely to retire. A few days ago, Chris Paul gave an interview and said that was the biggest disrespect he'd ever faced in his life."

One avid NBA enjoyer made his case very simple: "That is the ultimate disrespect. And Bradley Beal has no respect for cp3. Ain’t no way."

Once the internet started buzzing and saw the Clippers team store put Bradley Beal's name on the back of the No. 3 jersey, the three-time NBA All-Star and one-time All-NBA selection expressed his frustration about the discourse.

Is that the topic of the day? Lol

He then followed up with a post clarifying his intentions: Chris Paul will be a legend in the Clippers organization regardless of whether he chooses No. 3 for the 2026-27 NBA season.

The HISTORY and BRAND can’t be touched, nor erased!!!

This number has some history. See, Beal had a similar situation to Paul. He wore No. 3 throughout his whole career. He donned it during his time with the Washington Wizards after some legendary runs with John Wall. He also wore it during his two-year run with the Phoenix Suns. Eventually, Beal changed to No. 0 when he and Paul both ended up on the Clippers. It was to make way for the legend's farewell season.

Now, Beal wants the No. 3 plastered back on his jersey again after not having it for a year. It does not seem like NBA and Clippers fans want him to have it, out of respect for the recently retired legend.