With the NBA’s deadline for jersey change requests approaching, LeBron James filed paper work to switch his number from 23 to 6. LeBron says he’s retiring his old number to show his respect for Michael Jordan who is synonymous with No.23.
Here are 13 other NBA greats who switched numbers at some point in their career.
Allen Iverson
(Jersey Numbers: 1, 3)
During his one year stint in Detroit, Allen Iverson changed his number from 3 to 1, as Detroit PG Rodney Stuckey was wearing #3. Iverson went back to his old jersey number in Memphis, and ultimately to his old whiny ways.
Chauncey Billups
(Jersey Numbers: 1, 7)
Billups was No.1 in Detroit. Literally. He was Mr. Big Shot, the guy you go to when the game is on the line. When he swapped teams with Iverson and returned to his hometown Denver, Billups changed his number from 1 to 7 to honor his favorite NFL player, former Denver Broncos QB John Elway.
Ron Artest
Jersey Numbers (15, 91, 96, 93, 23, 37)
You can’t talk jersey changes without mention Ron Artest. In the course of his career, Ron Ron has averaged 16 Pts. 5 Rebs. and 6 Jersey numbers. He wore three different numbers for the Pacers: 15, 23 and 91. After signing with the Lakers in 2009, Artest chose number 37 in honor of Michael Jackson. Jackson’s Thriller album was at No. 1 on the charts for 37 straight weeks.
Kevin Garnett
(Jersey Numbers: 21, 5)
KG wore 21 in Minnesota, but that number wasn’t available in Boston. So, he chose to invoke the spirit of Bill Walton by wearing No.5. It’s also the closest thing to Bill Russell’s #6.
Shaq
(Jersey Numbers: 32, 34, 33)
Any player who signed with the Lakers in 1992 could be certain of one thing: wearing #32 was out of the question, as that number had been retired in honor of the legendary Magic Johnson. Shaq, who wore 32 in Orlando, had to change his number to 34. He went back to wearing 32 upon signing with the Miami Heat in 2004 and Phoenix Suns in 2008. O’Neal was on the move again, as he took an offer from the Cleveland Cavaliers to play alongside LeBron reigning MVP James. He changed his number once again to 33.
Charles Barkley
(Jersey Numbers: 34, 32)
In his final year with the Sixers, Charles Barkley changed his number from 34 to 32. Sir Charles wanted to honor his good friend and NBA legend, Magic Johnson, who had retired after testing positive for HIV. The Sixers had retired the number 32 in honor of Billy Cunningham, who gave his permission for Barkley to make the gesture.
Karl Malone
(Jersey Numbers 32, 11)
We’ve been here before. Remember that #32 we mentioned earlier under Shaquille O’Neal? Karl Malone would later learn that he couldn’t wear 32 in L.A., after signing with the Lakers. Like Shaq, he had to pick a different number. He chose 11.
Patrick Ewing
(Jersey Numbers: 33, 6)
Ewing wore No. 33 in his storied career as a New York Knick. When he signed with Orlando Magic in 2001, Ewing had to change his number to 6. Grant Hill wore No. 33 in Orlando.
Tracy McGrady
(Jersey Numbers: 3, 1)
In 2009, All-Star Guard and 2-time scoring champ Tracy McGrady announced that he’s changing his jersey number from 1 to 3 in honor of his “3 points Darfur” initiative.
Dennis Rodman
(Jersey Numbers: 10, 91, 73)
Dennis Rodman wore No. 10 in Detroit and San Antonio. He switched to No. 91 in Chicago, as No.10 was unavailable. Rodman picked 91 because 9+1=10. Upon signing with the Lakers, he changed his number again to 73. The “7″ represented the seven seasons he led the league in rebounding and “3″ represented his three championships with the Bulls.
Kobe Bryant
(Jersey Numbers: 8, 24)
After dropping 81 points in a game, the 2nd best in NBA history, Kobe Bryant decided to change his number from 8 to 24. There are many variations of the explanation for Bryant’s jersey change. Bryant once told TNT that he wanted 24 when he arrived at the NBA, but it was unavailable. His 2nd choice, 33 (his high school number), had been retired in honor of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. My theory on this is that Kobe wears #24 because he wants to be 1 better than #23. MJ’s Team USA jersey number was 9. I’ll let you guess what Kobe’s Team USA number is.
Julius Erving
(Jersey Numbers: 32, 6)
Erving is one of the few players in modern basketball to have his number retired by two franchises: the New Jersey Nets (formerly the New York Nets) have retired his No. 32 jersey, and the Philadelphia 76ers his No. 6 jersey. After dominating the ABA wearing No. 32, Dr. J switched to No.6 when he joined the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA before the 1976-77 season. Erving sported his No. 6 until his retirement from the league in 1987.
Michael Jordan
(Jersey Numbers: 23, 45, 12)
Michael Jordan’s jersey change is perhaps the most memorable in the history of the NBA. When Jordan returned to the NBA from his second retirement in 1995, he brought along his baseball number, 45. More significantly, 45 was the number MJ’s brother Larry wore when they played together in high school. His original #23 had been retired in his honor following his first retirement. He would later go back to #23.
During a 1990 game against the expansion Orlando team, someone snuck into the Bulls’ locker room and stole MJ’s No. 23 jersey. , Jordan’s jersey was stolen before the game and the team didn’t have a No. 23. The Bulls first option was to find a kid wearing No.23 in the stands and ask them nicely to donate their jersey, but they couldn’t find anyone with the right size. So Jordan ended up wearing No. 12 that night. Jordan poured in 49 points, but Chicago lost that game.
