NBA Player Numbers

[Dnice]

I noticed some players are getting "football numbers" more often now. Drew Gooden has 90 something, Scott Pollard has 62, Rasheed Wallace 36, Cassell 19, etc. I can understand back in the day Shawn Bradley and George Murhesan wearing 76 and 77, since that was thier height. I didn't remember too many players wearing a 6-9 # with a double digit back then. Was there any number rule in the NBA? I remember 55 being the highest anyone wore.

[slapshot]

I don't think there was any rule. I'm pretty sure George Mikan wore #99 for the Lakers back in the 50's, so you can see even back then some of the numbers were football-like.

[Discrim]

the only ones I know of are that you can't change your number after Feb. 1 and you can't have a 0 and a 00 on the same team at the same time. as far as I know, the NBA has never really had a rule on how high numbers can be, as evidenced by George Mikan and his famed 99 jersey.

[DarthMan]

the only ones I know of are that you can't change your number after Feb. 1

but you can! C-Webb traded with Igouadala for 4, and Iggy took 9. If you ask the league nicely...

[Dnice]

Mikan doesn't coun't the league was so small then! That's kinda like Marion Motley runnin people over wearin 76! lol

[bulldogbarks55]

I believe the NBA doesn't have any rule on "legal" numbers. High school and college teams may not use any digit greater than 5. George Mikan wore 99 for the Lakers in the early '50s. Bobby Wanzer wore 09, yes zero-nine for the Rochester Royals during the same era. I wish the NBA would adopt the college-high school format for enumerating (like that word?) their jerseys.

bulldogbarks55

[officeglenn]

I was also reading somewhere that FIBA only allows nos. 4 through 15 in international competitions. In international friendlies and exhibition games, though, players can wear any number.

[the_cynic]

Well you forgot that Dennis Rodman also wore 91 for the Bulls and 73 for the Lakers.

[Dnice]

Yeah I guess those guys just want to stand out. "Look ma, I'm wearig a number no one else has!"

[kc51design]

I'm sure that Dennis Rodman had to ask NBA for 91 and 73 for special permission at that time, but now since there are a lot of those kind of numbers I'm not sure. But I know the reason why regular numbers had no digit more than 5 and that being that refs have 5 fingers on one hand so to show foul by number 55 they would show all fingers, or Jordan foul, they would have left hand 3 fingers up and right hand 2 fingers up. So for Rodman 73 it's hard to show the number with two hands in one attempt.

[the_cynic]

Well heck, the Celtics have so many retired numbers its almost like they can't afford to not go higher than the 50's.

[Braden]

How about Ron Artest? He switched from 23 to 91 this year (although you haven't really had a chance to see it that much this year)

[the_cynic]

How about Ron Artest? He switched from 23 to 91 this year (although you haven't really had a chance to see it that much this year)

Hmm, Dennis Rodman wore 91 and he was a big defensive threat just like Artest. Not only that but they're "Bad Boys" of the NBA.......no relation to the Detroit Piston "Bad Boys".

[sj32]

Up until the 2001-02 season, you couldn't wear numbers 1 or 2 in college. I think it was because a referee had to signal "1" or "2" shots were being awarded on a foul and signalling a jersey #1 or #2 when calling a foul could cause confusion for the scorer. This is why you can't wear 1, 2 or 3 in international play (with the three-point shot).

[CubsFanBudMan]

Rodman first switched to 91 with the Bulls because #10 was retired (B.J. Armstrong was allowed to keep it for as long as he was a Bull, but when he did his second stint with Chicago he wore #11)

IIRC, Rodman had to get special permission from the NBA. When he went to L.A., he had won three straight titles and seven straight rebounding titles so he took 73 to signify that (and still add up to 10). When he briefly played for the Mavericks he wore 70 to break the theme a bit.

Artest was originally 15, but said he switched to 23 to honor Jordan last year. This year he was honoring Rodman with his switch to 91.

As far as no switch after Feb. 1, Jordan switched back to 23 from 45 in the middle of the playoffs after Nick Anderson ripped 45 for being slower than 23. Of course, that was Jordan.

I think the NBA still has to give permission, but it's pretty easy to get.

[J23P]

another reason for rodman wearing the #73 was because at the time he was 37 years old and in reverse order that is 73, he even mentioned that on an old sportscenter episode.

as for ron ron, it is true that he wore 23 in honor of MJ and he switched to 91 in honor of rodman. i remember reading about that i think in slam magazine.

i emailed someone in the detroit pistons organization about why 'sheed is wearing 36 instead of his usual #30. they said it is in honor of someone in his family and that is was a really private and personal reason.

cassell is wearing 19 because he was usually 10 and 1 + 9 = 10

the c's do have a lot of retired #'s. i just dont understand why ainge didnt give him his old number 44 or even #4. 4 is unoccupied and it is half of 8 (even though 'toine isnt half the player Al Jefferson is).