Who wore number 3 in NBA?

A jersey is part of the NBA uniform. Everyone wears one, and every NBA player has a number that helps teammates, opponents, referees, and fans identify them.

Dwyane Wade

Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. is an American former professional basketball player. Wade spent the majority of his 16-year career playing for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and won three NBA championships, was a 13-time NBA All-Star, an 8-time member of the All-NBA Team, and a 3-time member of the All-Defensive Team. Wade is also one of Miami’s all-time leaders in points, games, assists, steals, shots made, and shots taken. Wade is also known as the host of The Cube.

After a successful college basketball career with the Marquette Golden Eagles, including leading the team to the Final Four in 2003, Wade was drafted fifth overall in the 2003 NBA draft by the Heat. In his third season, Wade led the Heat to their first NBA Championship and was named the 2006 NBA Finals MVP. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Wade led the United States men’s basketball team, commonly known as the “Redeem Team”, in scoring and helped them capture the gold medal. In the 2008–09 season, Wade led the league in scoring and earned his first NBA scoring title. Wade was selected as the NBA All-Star Game MVP in 2010.

With LeBron James and Chris Bosh, Wade helped guide Miami to four consecutive NBA Finals from 2011 to 2014, and won back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013. Wade briefly left Miami to play for the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers throughout 2016-2018 before returning to Miami to finish his playing career and retire with the Heat in 2019. He purchased a minority ownership stake in the Utah Jazz in 2021. In October 2021, Wade was honored as one of the league’s greatest players of all-time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

Listed at 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall and weighing 220 pounds (100 kg), Wade was a shooting guard who could play point as he did during his rookie season and with smaller lineups. On offense, he was one of the quickest and most difficult players to guard, as well as one of the best slashers in NBA history. Wade’s signature one-two step allowed him to dash past bigger defenders and draw fouls. Wade ranked first in free-throw attempts per 48 minutes in 2004–05 and again in the 2006–07 season. Wade was an unselfish player, averaging 5.4 assists for his career. After winning the NBA Finals MVP Award in 2006, Wade developed a reputation as one of the league’s premier clutch players.

David Thorpe, an athletic trainer who runs a training center for NBA players, cited Wade’s post-up game as one of his strengths. Thorpe said that Wade’s best moves from the post were his turnaround jump shot, double pivot, and what Thorpe termed a “freeze fake”, a pump fake Wade used to get his opponent to jump, so that he could drive around him. Wade’s main weakness was three-point shooting; he averaged 29% for his career.

Wade was best known for his ability to convert difficult lay-ups, even after hard mid-air collisions with larger defenders. His style drew concerns over the dangers of playing in this manner, as Wade had hurt his knees and wrists after mid-air collisions with larger players. Wade established himself on defense for his ability to block shots and accumulate steals. He is one of the NBA leaders in blocks for players listed 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and under, which he achieved in only 679 games, over 400 games less than the previous record-holder: Dennis Johnson (1,100).

Chris Paul

Christopher Emmanuel Paul, nicknamed “CP3”, is an American professional basketball player known for playing with the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Paul is a point guard who has won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, an NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award, Olympic gold medals, and led the NBA in assists multiple times and steals a record multiple times. He has also been selected to numerous NBA All-Star teams, All-NBA teams, and NBA All-Defensive teams. In 2021, he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

Paul was a McDonald’s All-American in high school and attended Wake Forest University for two years of college basketball, where he helped the Demon Deacons achieve their first-ever number-one ranking. He was selected as the fourth overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft by the New Orleans Hornets, where he developed into one of the league’s premier players, finishing second in NBA Most Valuable Player Award voting in 2008. During the 2011 off-season, the Hornets organized a deal to send Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers, but the transaction was controversially voided by the NBA. He was instead dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers later that year. Led by Paul’s playmaking, the Clippers developed a reputation for their fast-paced offense and spectacular alley-oop dunks, earning them the nickname “Lob City”.

In 2017, he was traded to the Houston Rockets, where he helped the team win 65 games in his debut season. He played one more season in Houston before being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder as part of a package for Russell Westbrook in 2019. With the Thunder looking to rebuild, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns in 2020, where he reached the NBA Finals for the first time in his career.

Paul served as the president of the National Basketball Players Association from August 2013 to August 2021. Among the highest-paid athletes in the world, he is known for holding endorsement deals with companies such as Air Jordan and State Farm.

Standing 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) tall and weighing 175 pounds (79 kg), Paul exclusively plays the point guard position. His career averages are 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. He has earned All-NBA honors (2008, 2009, 2011–2016, 2020, 2021), All-Defensive honors (2008, 2009, 2011–2017), and led the NBA in steals (2008, 2009, 2011–2014) and in assists (2008, 2009, 2014, 2015). In 2013, he was ranked as the third-best player in the league by ESPN and Sports Illustrated. In his 2014 NBA preview, ESPN’s Kevin Pelton called Paul the league’s best point guard, adding, “a title he’s held throughout his career when healthy”.

Paul prefers playing in the half court versus playing up-tempo. He creates scoring opportunities by constantly changing speeds; upon beating his defender one-on-one or shedding him in the pick-and-roll, he will often slow down and box him out, denying him from regaining front side position and forcing the defense to help at all times.

His ability to penetrate deep into the paint leads to easy shots for his teammates, and in 2013, he was second in the league in assisted three-pointers. As a playmaker, he is noted for his consistently high assist-to-turnover ratio, averaging just 2.4 turnovers per game over his career. A deft midrange shooter, he is especially proficient from the right elbow, leading the league in shooting percentage from that area in 2015. On defense, he aggravates opponents with active hands and high effort, and has been ranked as one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA.

Allen Iverson

Allen Ezail Iverson is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed “the Answer” and “AI”, he played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) at both the shooting guard and point guard positions. Iverson won NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 1997 and was an 11-time NBA All-Star, won the All-Star game MVP award in 2001 and 2005, and was the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2001. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. In October 2021, Iverson was honored as one of the league’s greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. Iverson is often regarded as one of the greatest ball handlers and as one of the most influential players in NBA history.

Iverson attended Bethel High School in Hampton, Virginia, and was a dual-sport athlete. He earned the Associated Press High School Player of the Year award in both football and basketball, and won the Division 5 AAA Virginia state championship in both sports. After high school, Iverson played college basketball with the Georgetown Hoyas for two years, where he set the school record for career scoring average (22.9 points per game) and won Big East Defensive Player of the Year awards both years.

Following two successful years at Georgetown University, Iverson declared eligibility for the 1996 NBA draft, and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the first overall pick. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season. A four time scoring champion, winning the NBA scoring title during the 1998–99, 2000–01, 2001–02, and 2004–05 seasons, Iverson was one of the most prolific scorers in NBA history, despite his relatively small stature (listed at 6 feet, 0 inches, or 183 centimeters).

He is one of the all-time leaders in regular season career scoring average (26.7 points per game) and playoff career scoring average (29.7 points per game). Iverson was also the NBA Most Valuable Player of the 2000–01 season, and led his team to the 2001 NBA Finals the same season. Iverson represented the United States at the 2004 Summer Olympics, winning the bronze medal.

Later in his career, Iverson played for the Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, and the Memphis Grizzlies, before ending his NBA career with the 76ers during the 2009–10 season. He was rated the fifth-greatest NBA shooting guard of all time by ESPN in 2008. He finished his career in Turkey with Beşiktaş in 2011. He returned as a player-coach for 3’s Company in the inaugural season of the BIG3.

Dennis Johnson

Dennis Wayne Johnson, nicknamed “DJ”, was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics and coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. He was an alumnus of Dominguez High School, Los Angeles Harbor College and Pepperdine University.

A prototypical late bloomer, Johnson overcame early struggles and had a successful NBA playing career. Drafted 29th overall in 1976 by the Seattle SuperSonics, Johnson began his professional career as a shooting guard. He eventually led the Sonics to their only NBA championship in 1979, winning the Finals MVP Award. After three seasons with the Phoenix Suns, he became the starting point guard for the Boston Celtics, with whom he won two more championships. Johnson was voted into five All-Star Teams, one All-NBA First and one Second Team, and nine consecutive All-Defensive First and Second Teams. Apart from his reputation as a defensive stopper, Johnson was known as a clutch player who made several decisive plays in NBA playoffs history.

The Celtics retired Johnson’s No. 3 jersey, which hangs from the rafters of the TD Garden, the home arena of the team. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame officially inducted Johnson to the Hall posthumously in 2010. He is considered by several sports journalists to be one of the most underrated players of all time.

Ben Wallace

Ben Cameron Wallace is an American former professional basketball player, also known as the basketball executive. Playing most of his career in the National Basketball Association, he is regarded by many to be the greatest undrafted player in NBA history. A native of Alabama, Wallace attended Cuyahoga Community College and Virginia Union University. In his NBA career, Wallace played with the Washington Bullets/Wizards, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls, and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Wallace won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award four times. In nine seasons with the Pistons (2000–2006; 2009–2012), Wallace made two NBA Finals appearances (2004 and 2005) and won a championship with the team in 2004. The Pistons retired his jersey number 3 in 2016. Wallace was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in the class of 2021 on May 16, 2021, and was enshrined on September 11, 2021.

Wallace was listed at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), though he has admitted that he is closer to 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m). Even though his height was more suited for the power forward position, he primarily played as center due to his size, strength and athleticism. He became known for his prolific rebounding and shot blocking, and was voted the NBA Defensive Player of the Year four times. He is one of the few players to collect more blocks than personal fouls (minimum 150 games) and the first player among those to also have more steals than turnovers.

However, Wallace was never a potent scorer, averaging 5.7 points per game in his career. The majority of his points came from offensive put-backs, baskets in transition, or other high-percentage field goals. Wallace is also known for one of the worst free-throw shooting percentages in NBA history, at under 42 percent (minimum 1,000 free-throw attempts). This often led to teams fouling him in the fourth quarter, much like the Hack-a-Shaq defense.

Steve Francis

Steven D’Shawn Francis is an American former professional basketball player. He was selected with the second overall pick of the 1999 NBA draft and was named co-NBA Rookie of the Year (along with Elton Brand) in his first season. He was a three-time NBA All-Star while playing for the Houston Rockets. Francis also played for the Orlando Magic and New York Knicks, finishing his career with the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association. He was known for his crossover dribble, driving ability, and flashy dunks. He was given the nickname Stevie Franchise.