Kobe Bryant will reportedly have both of his numbers retired by the Lakers
Stacy Revere/GettyImages
Kobe Bryant will go down as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
Regardless of where he ranks in your personal basketball hierarchy, there is no denying his storied career belongs somewhere among the top of the list. An 18-time All Star and third on the NBA all-time scoring list, Bryant's remarkable career on the court is one that will be remembered for a long time.
But for all the distinctions Bryant already has to his name, he will reportedly be adding one more to his legacy this season, when he will become the first player in NBA history to have not one, but two numbers retired by his team. ESPN's Ramona Shelburne broke the news on Twitter.
The question of "Which number will the Lakers retire?" had been looming in the heads of basketball fans ever since Bryant announced his retirement. After spending the early years of his career wearing 8 and winning three titles with the Lakers, Bryant switched to number 24 for the latter half of his playing days and continued his league dominance for years.
By the numbers, both the #8 and #24 iterations of Kobe Bryant could've likely made the Hall of Fame on their own merits, so while it might seem a bit over-the-top to retire both numbers, it's not a preposterous as you first might think.
Bryant's jersey retirement ceremony will take place at the Staples Center on December 18, ahead of the Lakers game against the Golden State Warriors. He will be the tenth player to have his jersey(s) retired by the Lakers, joining the likes of Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O'Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Jerry West.
Update. BOTH of Kobe's numbers will be retired.
- Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) September 12, 2017
- I'm an interior designer. Here are 10 things in your living room you should get rid of.
- A software engineer shares the résumé he's used since college that got him a $500,000 job at Meta — plus offers at TikTok and LinkedIn
- Higher-paid employees looking for work are having a tough time, and it could be a sign of a shift in the workplace
- Rupee rises 3 paise to end at 83.43 against US dollar
- 500 times faster than 5g! Japanese companies unveil 6g internet that can stream 5 HD movies at once
- Top tourist places to visit in Ooty in 2024
- Renewable energy accounted for 71 per cent of India's new power generation in FY 24
- ICC issues annual team rankings: India lead both white-ball formats while Aussies take top spot in Tests
- Nothing Phone (2a) blue edition launched
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market