Chris Paul says a jersey number kept him from joining the Miami Heat

When an opportunity comes along in life, sometimes you just throw caution to the wind and go for it. That’s what Chris Paul should have done when he was approached about becoming part of the Heatles in Miami, alongside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. It never came to pass, though, and all because Paul and Wade couldn’t come to an agreement on who would wear jersey No. 3.

So, CP3 could have had a ring or two and the entire narrative around his career would be completely flipped. If wearing No. 3 was that big of a factor in Pat Riley not pushing forward in acquiring Paul — in all honesty, that’s downright silly.

We understand that uniform numbers are important and some, like CP3, end up having much of their legacy tied to that numeral. And of course, we’re talking prime Paul — and Wade for that matter — with young superstar egos getting involved. So, if this is exactly how those conversations went down it’s not surprising but still an incredible opportunity that the hoops world missed out on.

Pride can be a son of a bitch sometimes. Over a decade later, Paul is in the twilight of his career and still ringless. Had he joined Bron there from the jump and stayed all four years, Paul would be a two-time NBA champion and who knows if he puts them over the top to win another. Sure, CP3 and D-Wade can look back on it now and laugh, but they know they left something special on the table.

The banana boat crew would have been in full effect on South Beach. Although Carmelo Anthony isn’t in the above picture, he’s also part of the banana boat crew, being close friends with James, Wade, and Paul. Melo was also asked to join the ‘Heatles’ initially and passed on it.

Imagine Miami replacing Chris Bosh with Anthony while also finding a way to add CP3.

All four guys were in their prime and among the top players in the NBA. It would’ve been overkill in terms of the whole “super team” aspect, but to witness that would’ve been something. They would have been criticized for years, but if that meant winning two or three championships, then it was probably worth it.

But knowing it didn’t happen in part because of dudes battling over a number makes it so much worse, especially if you’re a Heat fan. Anthony likely wasn’t joining them anyway as he wanted to blaze his own path, and that’s commendable. However, having Paul out there handling the rock setting up James, Wade, and others is something, and most Miami fanatics will regret being robbed of that experience.