2006-11-07 18:01:42 · 10 answers · asked by angels and airwaves 1 in Sports ➔ Basketball
Bryant began his career at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pa., wearing No. 24. But by 1996 -- the year he led the school to the state championship -- he had switched to No. 33, the number his father Joe "Jelly Bean" Bryant wore in high school.
In order for a player to change jersey numbers at will, he either has to change teams or have the team inform the league of the decision more than six months in advance. Players who stay with the same team must have worn the same number for four seasons or longer. Sources say the Lakers informed the league of Bryant's wish to change his number by this year's March 3 deadline.
Calls placed to Bryant's agent Rob Pelinka and the Lakers were not immediately returned.
Over the past few months, Kobe Bryant's popularity has been on the rise again. His jersey was the fourth-best seller this season, up one spot from last year's position, according to sales at the NBA Store in Manhattan and on NBA.com.
When Bryant came into the league, he couldn't take the No. 33 because it had been retired seven years earlier by the Lakers in honor of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Bryant arrived at the No. 8 for two reasons. It was the number he wore when he was a kid playing in Italy. It also tied into the number he wore at Adidas' ABCD Camp, 143. The numbers add up to 8.
Bryant's switch is the NBA's most significant jersey number change since the 1994-95 season, when Michael Jordan came out of retirement wearing the No. 45 for the final 22 games of the season. Jordan's No. 23 had been retired by the Bulls in his honor. For the next three seasons, Jordan went back to the No. 23.
League veteran Jim Jackson, who signed with the Lakers in March, now wears No. 24.
2006-11-07 18:27:11 · answer #1 · answered by Role Model 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
This question has been asked a thousand times already. It's not that hard to search Answers to find this question already correctly answered several times.
"Late in the season, it was reported that Bryant would change his jersey number from #8 to #24 at the start of the 2006-07 NBA season. #24 was Bryant's first high school number, before he switched to #33, his father's, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, number when he played pro ball. After the Lakers' season ended, Bryant said on TNT that he wanted #24 as a rookie, but it was unavailable, as was #33, retired with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He said the switch to 24 signified the start of the second half of his career."
2006-11-07 19:11:50 · answer #2 · answered by ccmonty 5 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Later interior the season, it replaced into suggested that Bryant might substitute his jersey huge variety from 8 to 24 on the initiating of the 2006–07 NBA season. Bryant's first intense college huge variety replaced into 24 in the previous he switched to 33. After the Lakers' season ended, Bryant suggested on TNT that he needed 24 as a rookie, in spite of the undeniable fact that it replaced into unavailable, as replaced into 33, retired with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
2016-10-21 11:19:36 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
He wanted to wear the same number that he wore in high school, so he changed numbers from 8 to 24.
2006-11-08 04:36:59 · answer #4 · answered by milky 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
All the answers are wrong. Kobe was interviewed and he said that he changed it to 24 so that he can take everything one day at a time. as in 24 hours a day. He said that he wanted to cherish every minute of every hour of every day. it has nothing to do with his high school number or being higher than Jordan. they asked all these questions in the interview and he said all of these things were wrong. He just wants to take everything one day at a time and cherish everything about the game and his life. go to KB24.com and it'll tell you. Oh yeah, thank you for the 10 pts cause this has to be the best answer cause it's the only right answer.
2006-11-08 01:40:39 · answer #5 · answered by rnellwoo 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
oh its just one of my attention-seeking antics. you know me. i like to be on the spotlight all the time and i like to be talked about.
i have been desperately trying to be like mike and i try to copy the things that he's done like number-changing and all that crap. maybe I'll consider baseball in the future ha ha. but first i gotta win more scoring titles so that I'll be more like mike.
as for the number, i think its kinda corny, but 24 is one up to his 23. i want to be like mike but at the same time, i want to be better than him. badly. i know you guys don't agree with me but i am better than him. i am the best.
By the way, where the **** have you been? This question has been posted a ******* countless times already!
But it's all good. Like I said, I like to be talked about!
2006-11-07 18:45:20 · answer #6 · answered by KOBE BRYANT 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
He became a Jeff Gordon fan in the off season.
:)
2006-11-07 20:22:08 · answer #7 · answered by Flip 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
So that people will talk about him. He needs the attention. Shaq is still sporting the same # and last I checked he has another ring.
2006-11-07 18:18:22 · answer #8 · answered by the matt 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
He decided to change his number to his high school jersey no...
2006-11-07 23:15:01 · answer #9 · answered by samdesign78 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I heard that he thought he was one step higher than MJordan. Its what i heard
2006-11-07 20:54:18 · answer #10 · answered by Spawn 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋