When late Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Fame shooting guard Kobe Bryant changed his jersey number from eight to 24 during the 2006-07 season, he explained it at the time as "growth" from his prior digits.
"Then 24 is a growth from [No. 8]," Bryant once said. "Physical attributes aren't there the way they used to be, but the maturity level is greater. Marriage, kids. Start having a broader perspective being one of the older guys on the team now, as opposed to being the youngest. Things evolve."
Now, his friend and on-court nemesis Kevin Garnett, reveals that there was another reason behind Bryant's change.
"People don't even know [what] the 24 stands for," Garnett said. "People don't even understand that that was a sign to everybody that he was a step above 23 [Michael Jordan's jersey number], if y'all even got that."
"That's why he went 24, that was a shot at Mike, straight up, like, I'm better than you. It really stood on it. And if you look at every goal or every record that Mike Jordan has had, Kobe chased it."
Garnett's star-studded Boston Celtics club squared off against Bryant's Lakers in two NBA Finals, 2008 and 2010, winning the first.
Bryant did not reach MJ's title, MVP or Finals MVP tallies, but thanks to his 20-year career (five more than Jordan), the Black Mamba did surpass Air Jordan in terms of total points scored and All-Star appearances.
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When late Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Fame shooting guard Kobe Bryant changed his jersey number
jersey number
In team sports, the number, often referred to as the uniform number, squad number, jersey number, shirt number, sweater number, or similar (with such naming differences varying by sport and region) is the number worn on a player's uniform, to identify and distinguish each player (and sometimes others, such as coaches ...
from eight to 24 during the 2006-07 season, he explained it at the time as "growth" from his prior digits. "Then 24 is a growth from [No. 8]," Bryant once said.
Bryant himself shed light on this decision, revealing that it represented a new chapter in his career and personal growth. The number 24 held symbolic meaning for him, signifying a fresh start and a heightened sense of maturity and leadership on and off the court.
Thursday is Feb. 8, 2024 -- 2/8/24 -- a calendar date that not only includes both of Bryant's numbers, but the No.2 that his late daughter Gianna, who also died in the crash, wore as a budding basketball phenom.
23. The reason is out of respect for the late Bill Russell, LeBron's agent Rich Paul told Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The NBA retired the No. 6 across the league but players already wearing the number were grandfathered in and could continue to wear it.
Bryant's next two seasons were cut short by injuries to his knee and shoulder, respectively. Citing physical decline, Bryant retired after the 2015–16 season. In 2017, the Lakers retired both his Nos. 8 and 24, making Bryant the only player in NBA history to have multiple numbers retired by the same franchise.
The Lakers wore their “Black Mamba” jerseys in honor of Kobe Bryant as the uniforms also sported a special patch bearing the number 2 inside a heart to honor Gianna Bryant.
The family aspect. James also added that he picked number 6 because of his son, Bronny James Jr., who celebrates his birthday every October 6th. Meanwhile, his second son, Bryce Maximus James, was born in June, the sixth month of the year.
33 was the number my father wore in high school, so I just switched it to carry on the lineage.” When Bryant jumped from Lower Merion High School to the professional ranks joining the Lakers, Bryant did not even have the opportunity to select number 33.
Kobe wore No. 8 from 1996-97 to 2005-06. Then, he shocked everyone before the 2006-07 season by changing his number to 24, which confused many fans on why he chose this number.
“My brother wore No. 45 which was my number,” he explained in an interview. So I chose half of what his jersey was, which was 22.5, which I would rather have 23.”
So he took the 3 from his mother's birth year and the 4 from his father's birth year and came up with the number 34 to don on his jersey. Giannis' brother Thanasis did the opposite and started wearing 43 on his jersey. HT launches Crick-it, a one stop destination to catch Cricket, anytime, anywhere.
When he joined the Miami Heat in 2010, he switched to No. 6, stating at the time of his decision that it was in honor of Michael Jordan. And that nobody should ever wear No. 23 again.
When Bryant first entered the league straight out of high school in 1996, he knew he had to prove he belonged in the NBA and deserved a place among the greats. The Black Mamba picked the number based on his Adidas camp number, 143.
January 22, 2006. Every fan of the Los Angeles Lakers can remember where they were that night. 18 years ago, former Lakers Hall-of-Fame guard Kobe Bryant put on one of the greatest individual performances in sports history.
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