How good of a career did Kobe Bryant have with the Los Angeles Lakers? Let’s just say the man wore two different jersey numbers, and both of them will be off-limits to future players who wear the purple and gold.
The Lakers are planning to hold a ceremony for Bryant on Dec. 18 before they play the Golden State Warriors, and ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reports that both Bryant’s No. 8 jersey and his No. 24 jersey will be raised to the rafters of the Staples Center.
Update. BOTH of Kobe's numbers will be retired.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) September 12, 2017
While retiring two numbers for one player is unprecedented, what other choice did the Lakers have? Bryant wore No. 8 for the first half of his career, and he helped the Lakers win three championships in a row from 2000-2002 while wearing that number. He then switched to No. 24 — his first high school number — prior to the 2006-2007 season. The Lakers went on to win two more championships over the latter nine years of Bryant’s career.
Many expected the Lakers to retire both of Bryant’s numbers, though the future Hall of Famer had a funny response when asked about the potential predicament a while back. If any player deserves the honor, it’s Kobe.
