The NBA is allowing players to change their jersey numbers mid-season in order to honor the legacies of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna.
So far Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie, Orlando Magic guard Terrence Ross and New Orleans Pelicans forward Jahlil Okafor have all officially declared their plans to switch numbers, the teams announced this week.
Honor your people.
Number 26, Spencer Dinwiddie. pic.twitter.com/Y3oZREw602
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 28, 2020
https://twitter.com/OrlandoMagic/status/1222278939705597954
.@TerrenceRoss will be changing his jersey number from 8 back to 31, beginning with Orlando’s game on Saturday, February 1 against Miami at Amway Center. pic.twitter.com/YwP2MeYu20
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) January 28, 2020
Jahlil Okafor (@JahlilOkafor) joins other NBA players in giving up No. 8 jersey, honoring legacy of Kobe Bryant
Story: https://t.co/Q90AF2GqAZ
by @Jim_Eichenhofer pic.twitter.com/mtmjOHz8nC
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 29, 2020
In addition to these changes …
- Lakers guard Quinn Cook tells Shams Charania of The Athletic he will change his number from No. 2 to No. 28 to because, “No. 2 is Gianna’s number. I feel it should be retired. It’s hers.”
Lakers guard Quinn Cook tells @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium: “No. 2 is Gianna’s number. I feel it should be retired. It’s hers.” https://t.co/8s1ByqrFnm
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 29, 2020
- Detroit Pistons forward Markieff Morris plans to change his number from No. 8 to No. 88, according to a report from James Edwards III of The Athletic.
- Golden State Warriors guard Alec Burks plans to switch from No. 8 to No. 20, according to a report from Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
- LA Clippers forward Moe Harkless reportedly will switch from No. 8 to No. 11, according to Charania.
- Denver Nuggets forward Mason Plumlee reportedly will switch from No. 24 to No. 7, according to Charania.
- Philadelphia 76ers guard Zhaire Smith wore No. 7 instead of No. 8 during a win over the Warriors on Tuesday. But after the game, he said he plans to wear No. 5 for the remainder of the season.
However, the Lakers, Pistons, Warriors, Clippers, Nuggets and 76ers have not yet officially announced these number changes.
Dinwiddie, Ross and Okafor are all switching from No. 8 to new numbers. Dinwiddie will switch to No. 26, Ross will switch to No. 31 and Okafor will wear No. 9 (according to a report from Charania). Ross had worn No. 31 for his entire eight-year career before switching to No. 8 for the 2019-20 season.
We often search for meaning in numbers. And yes you guys have caught a lot of the obvious reasons…
There’s one more tho, a person that I often speak about but hold private and most close to my heart.
Elijah + Spencer = 20 + 6
Honor your ppl, love you son 🤙🏾 https://t.co/pVT630bk0F
— Spencer Dinwiddie (@SDinwiddie_25) January 28, 2020
According to Marc Stein of The New York Times, the league is reviewing jersey number requests on a “case-by-case basis”. There are 21 players in the NBA who wear No. 8 this season and 13 players who wear No. 24.
