Seeing Chris Paul in a jersey other than No. 3 — he’s CP3, after all — would have been weird.
It turns out that this does not happen in San Antonio. Keldon Johnson wore number 3 during his five years with the franchise, but He posted a photo of himself on Instagram wearing the Spurs No. 0 uniform — it has changed for the coming season.
This means uniform No. 3 is open for Chris Paul.
It’s unclear whether Paul paid Johnson for the number or gave him a gift, but it’s not uncommon in the NBA. Johnson has previously said that one reason he wore No. 3 was because he admired Paul, who wore No. 3 at every stop during his 19-year NBA Hall of Fame career.
Paul arrives in San Antonio to help organize the Spurs’ offense, getting Victor Wembanyama the ball in better positions and to coach young players like Johnson and the rookie guard Stephen’s Castle. This was one of the best acquisitions of the offseason. It’s possible the Spurs trade CP3 at the February deadline, but that still leaves plenty of time for Paul to work with Gregg Popovich and leave his mark on this team.
