'CP3' lives on as Bradley Beal agrees to give No. 3 jersey to new Clippers teammate Chris Paul
Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said Tuesday that Beal, who has worn No. 3 his entire career, offered up the number to Paul, who has also worn No. 3 over his 20 years in the league.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season]
"Once Brad heard that it was a possibility that Chris was coming, he said, 'I want to give him my number.' And I don't even think Chris knows this yet," Frank said. "So it's awesome that Brad made such a great gesture like that."
A similar gesture was made last season when Paul played for the San Antonio Spurs. Forward Keldon Johnson gave up the No. 3 after Paul signed a one-year deal last summer.
The 40-year-old Paul, a future Hall of Famer, also wore the No. 3 while at Wake Forest. He's played for seven franchises with 1,354 games played and more than 23,000 points scored. He is a 12-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA First Teamer, seven-time All-Defensive First Teamer and a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary team, among numerous other honors.
Paul played for the Clippers from 2011-2017 and is the franchise's leader in assists and steals per game. He will be in a bench role this time around in LA, but can still be productive. He's coming off a 2024-25 season where he played 82 games and averaged 8.8 points, 7.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
'Chris was the best guy for the job as long as we all understand what the role is,' Frank said. 'There will be nights Chris plays a lot and there will be nights he does not.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
a minute ago
- USA Today
LeBron James and Maverick Carter were seen with Nikola Jokic's agent
There has been a lot of talk lately that LeBron James, one way or another, is on his way out as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers and that they will look to essentially replace him with another superstar within the next couple of years. The belief is that the Lakers will try to go after either Giannis Antetokounmpo or Nikola Jokić next summer or during the summer of 2027. They reportedly want to keep a lot of salary cap space free for that purpose, which has led some to feel that they will essentially punt the next season or two and not try to win the NBA championship during that time. On his Instagram account, Misko Raznatovic, Jokic's agent, posted a photo of him with James and James' business manager, Maverick Carter, along with a cryptic caption. 'The summer of 2025 is the perfect time to make big plans for the fall of 2026!' This will undoubtedly spark speculation about James' future beyond the next handful of months. There have already been many rumors that he will eventually ask the Lakers to trade him soon, even though he exercised his player option for the 2025-26 season. Jokic, the three-time NBA MVP, who many still feel is the best basketball player in the world, can opt out of his current contract in the 2027 offseason. He just became the third player in league history to average a triple-double for an entire season, but he lost out on the 2024-25 regular-season MVP award to the Oklahoma City Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Washington Post
11 minutes ago
- Washington Post
The Kansas City Royals and pitcher Seth Lugo agree to 2-year extension, AP source says
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals and right-hander Seth Lugo have agreed to a two-year extension that includes a vesting option for the 2028 season, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Sunday night. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal, which presumably takes one of the most talked-about names on the trade market off the table ahead of this week's deadline, had not been officially announced. The 35-year-old Lugo made his first All-Star Game and won his first Gold Glove last season, when he went 16-9 with a 3.00 ERA in the first year of a two-year, $30 million deal that included a player option for next season. Lugo has followed that up with an even better start to this season, going 7-5 with a 2.95 ERA through 19 outings for Kansas City. Rumors surfaced of several contenders interested in trading for Lugo ahead of Thursday's deadline, and the fact that the Royals have been hanging on the fringe of contention themselves left many wondering whether they would be buyers or sellers. It appears that they are going to make a push for a second consecutive playoff appearance. The Royals acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Diamondbacks for reliever Andrew Hoffmann late Saturday, shoring up a weakness in the lineup by adding a right-handed bat. Now, they have indicated that Lugo remains big a part of their future with his extension — an especially timely one given it came the same day that All-Star pitcher Kris Bubic went on the injured list. Kansas City also is missing starters Cole Ragans and Michael Lorenzen due to injuries. Both are expected back at some point in August, and the Royals are hopeful that their return to the rotation will propel them down the stretch run. After beating the Guardians on Sunday, the Royals were four games back of the final American League wild-card spot. ___ AP MLB:
Washington Post
26 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Paul Skenes dominant again, striking out 9 in 6 innings as Pirates blank D-backs 6-0
PITTSBURGH — Paul Skenes struck out nine and gave up three hits in six innings, Oneil Cruz and Ke'Bryan Hayes drove in two runs each, and the Pittsburgh Pirates shut out the Arizona Diamondbacks for the second straight game, 6-0 on Sunday. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Skenes (6-8) is the first pitcher to have an ERA below 2 through his first 45 starts. The reigning NL Rookie of the Year sits at 1.89 for his career and 1.83 this year, which leads the majors. Skenes is the only starter this season who hasn't allowed a first-inning run. He struck out two in the first, including Geraldo Perdomo, who hadn't fanned in a league-best 39 straight at-bats. Jake McCarthy had a one-out triple in the second, but Skenes struck out James McCann and retired Alek Thomas on a popup to short. Skenes also worked around a leadoff double by Tristin English in the third. Cruz walked leading off the Pirates second and the majors stolen base leader with 34 was off and running when Tommy Pham singled to center field on a 1-2 pitch from Zac Gallen for a 1-0 lead. Gallen (7-12) allowed four runs on five hits in six innings. Arizona scored one run in the three-game series, winning 1-0 in 11 innings Friday night. Skenes hit Eugenio Suárez with a 3-2 pitch leading off the fourth and McCarthy doubled him to third with one out. Skenes then struck out McCann on three pitches and Thomas on six. Skenes has allowed one run or fewer in 14 of 22 starts this season after doing it 14 times as a rookie. The D-backs head to Detroit to begin a series against the Tigers on Monday, and the Pirates play at San Francisco. ___ AP MLB:
