The best Clipper to wear No. 3

Happy April 3, everyone. We’re spending every day here at Clips Nation discussing the best player in team history to wear the number of the date. With today being the third, we had to choose a player that’s worn No. 3 for the Clippers.

14 players have worn No. 3 while suiting up for the Clips, however nobody has made more of an impact than a certain player. Yup, today we’ll be honoring Sebastian Telfair.

Though his tenure was short, Telfair was truly....

Kidding, totally kidding.

Chris Paul gets the honor today, as not only being the best No. 3 in team history, but being one of the best overall players in franchise history.

Paul was traded to the Clippers back in 2011. Everybody remembers that he was infamously traded to the Lakers at first, but after that trade was vetoed by David Stern, the Clippers swooped in and acquired Paul. In the deal, the Clippers sent Eric Gordon, Al-Farouq Aminu, Chris Kaman and a first-round draft pick to the Hornets.

Though he didn’t accomplish what many hoped and envisioned, there’s no denying the impact Paul had on the Clippers during his tenure in Los Angeles. Prior to coming to LA, the Clippers had missed the playoffs in 18 of the previous 19 seasons. With Paul, they were in the playoffs all six seasons he was with the team.

During his six seasons, Paul appeared in 409 games, an average of 68 games a season. He averaged 18.8 points, 9.8 assists and 2.2 steals a game. He shot 47.5 percent from the field, including 37.8 percent from deep.

Paul currently stands near the top of a lot of categories in franchise history:

4,023 assists (1st)

902 steals (2nd)

7,674 points (6th)

13,885 minutes (8th)

618 three-pointers (4th)

26.3 player efficiency rating (1st)

47.7 assist percentage (1st)

124.5 offensive rating (1st)

78.2 win shares (1st)

Again, he didn’t accomplish what many had hoped or expected, but few players have made as much of an impact on the team that Paul did. He made the Clippers title contenders for the first time in the history of the franchise. Winning was his top priority, and he did everything he could to win games for the Clippers. You can’t do anything else other than appreciate him for that.

Here are some of his best moments as a Clipper.

Honorable mention: Quentin Richardson

There’s no way we could’ve beaten Paul, but we have to show love to Q-Rich, who comes in at a very respectable No. 2 on this list.

Richardson was drafted by the Clippers with the 18th pick in the 2000 NBA Draft. He was with the team for only four seasons, but he can make the case for one of the biggest fan-favorites, even to this date.

He averaged 12 points a game, including a career-high 17.2 points per game in his final season in Los Angeles. He knocked down 364 three-pointers, which is the seventh most in franchise history.