It’s a good thing Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul never ended up going to the Miami Heat.
Paul and former Heat star Dwyane Wade talked about a time when they were discussing Paul joining the Heat. The deal fell apart for other reasons, but if it had worked out, there would have been one fatal flaw: Who would wear No. 3?
The remembered how, after it was clear Paul was not going to the Heat, his brother C.J. Paul chimed in.
“We decided that I wasn’t going to go to Miami and all that. C.J., I remember my brother was sitting over there on the couch. C.J. was like that aint gonna work anyway cause who’s gonna wear no. 3?”
Wade was laughing on the Instagram Live video as Paul continues, saying the two had been on the phone together when C.J. said that.
“You was on the phone. You know what’s crazy? I sort of found out who you were then … The next thing that you were supposed to say was like, ‘Ah no, it’s cool, we would make it work, I’d give up No. 3.’ That’s what you were supposed to say.”
At this point on the IG video, Wade imitated Dikembo Mutombo: “No no no,” he said, with a little finger wag.
“Why would I do that?” Wade continued.
“That was like my team, I couldn’t give up No. 3, it was gonna get retired there one day. I knew couldn’t give it up.”
Chris Paul was understanding — but in some cases, shouldn’t nicknames trump legacy?
“I get that and I respect that, but they don’t call you DW3 … CP13 … CP6, that don’t sound right.”
By the end, Wade was cracking up by the ridiculous thought:
“CP didn’t come to Miami because we couldn’t come to an agreement on No. 3.”
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