Kobe Bryant: Story behind late Lakers legend having 8 and 24 as jersey numbers

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant passed away on Sunday night (Monday IST) after the helicopter he was travelling in, crashed near Calabasas, California. The 41-year-old was one of the best players in the NBA and is the only player in NBA history to have two numbers retired by the same team. Kobe Bryant in the No. 8 and No. 24 Lakers jerseys represented the two pivotal phases in his NBA career. While the Lakers highlighted both his numbers as a tribute to the 41-year-old, fans are still wondering 'Why did Kobe Bryant have two numbers?'

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Kobe Bryant jersey: Why did Kobe Bryant have two numbers?

In 2017, Kobe Bryant became the 10th player to have his jersey retired by the Lakers. He started his Lakers career in 1996 donning the No. 8 jersey, which was the number he wore in Italy. It was also a nod to the number he wore at the Adidas ABCD Camp -143 - whose digits add up to 8.

Bryant wore the No. 8 for 10 years, helping the Lakers win three back-to-back NBA Championship (2000-2002). While the No. 8 represented his rise in the league, the No. 24 represented his fight to prove to be the best of the best. 

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Kobe Bryant switched to No. 24 before the 2006-07 season. Bryant notably stated he wanted his new number to be 'a clean slate'. After long-time Lakers teammate Shaquille O'Neal was traded to Miami Heat and Bryant was arrested the previous year with allegations of sexual assault, a change is direction was unsurprisingly needed.

So Bryant donned the No.24 jersey in the second half of his NBA career, the number he wore early in his career at Lower Merion High School, in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Bryant admitted that he wanted to wear '24' from the start but couldn't as George McCloud had it when he joined the Lakers. Another number out of question was 33, as it was retired to honour Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

But nevertheless, the Lakers No.24 Bryant exuded maturity, taking over the leadership role at the franchise. He helped the Lakers win two NBA Championships (2009 & 2010), winning the NBA Finals MVP in both the seasons. Astonishingly, ESPN Stats suggest, he scored almost the same number of points in each: 16,777 as No. 8, 16,866 as No. 24.

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Kobe Bryant Lakers Stats

Bryant was named the NBA MVP in 2008 and made the All-Star team for 18 consecutive seasons. Bryant registered 33,643 points, 7,047 rebounds and 6306 assists in his NBA career.

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