Que up Bowie...According to reports Kobe is hanging up the number 8 to wear 24.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2421874


Bryant will hang up his No. 8 jersey, sources say
By Darren Rovell
ESPN.com

Kobe Bryant's fans might have to buy another jersey next season. That's because multiple sources have told ESPN.com that Bryant will change his number to 24 next season.

Kobe Bryant
Shooting Guard
Los Angeles Lakers

Profile
2006 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
80 35.4 5.3 4.5 .450 .850

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.

Six NBA teams have retired the number: the Boston Celtics (Sam Jones), Golden State Warriors (Rick Barry), Houston Rockets (Moses Malone), New York Knicks (Bill Bradley), Philadelphia 76ers (Bobby Jones) and Phoenix Suns (Tom Chambers).

Darren Rovell, who covers sports business for ESPN.com, can be reached at Darren.Rovell@espn3.com.

I like 8 better than 24
...
But If I was him I'd do the same
...
My 1st # was 15 (5th grade baseball) and has changed numerous times, and I'd do the same
...
I got 15 because there was 17 jerseys and the size grew according to number
...
I was a fat ass so I had almost the largest number
...
Sorry for the life story

It's clearly a tribute to one of the most influential ballers of this era.



























http://hollandsentinel.com/images/063000/cleaves24.jpg

^^^lmao!!!

Look at how thin Joe is in that pic.

Even in that picture, you can tell that Cleaves can't make a jump shot.

Every pistons pic 1997-2001 should have a teal warning asterisk in the thread title.

My eyes weren't prepared for that.

Every pistons pic 1997-2001 should have a teal warning asterisk in the thread title.

My eyes weren't prepared for that.


It was a very dark and confusing time in franchise history.

Goddamn...those things are fucking hideous...

the gold alternates were nice. though they were only sold, not worn during games.

BOOOOOOOO

Now I'll have to wait like six months to buy a Kobe jersey.

And goddamn Glenn put that Mateen shit away. :(

Multi Purpose.

#1 Sell more merchandise, since he owes it to his advertisters.
#2 recreation of his image continued.
#3 maybe in a new number he will stop raping women.

Multi Purpose.

#1 Sell more merchandise, since he owes it to his advertisters.
#2 recreation of his image continued.
#3 maybe in a new number he will stop raping women.

Well played, very Norm MacDonald-esque.

the gold alternates were nice. though they were only sold, not worn during games.
...
Never seen nor heard of those
...
gotta pic?

I always liked the "Crazy 8" though.

Oh well.

Good comparison, Glenn.

Well played yourself, sir.

(The Norm MacDonald thing, not necessarily the Cleaves thing).

What?


Thats gay. Change it to 34 in honor of Shaq.

I'm sorry but this is the most greedy thing ever. The only reason, and quote me on this, that Kobe wants to change his number is because he was 4th in jersey sales last year. Now everyone's going to have to get a "new" Kobe jersey, thus blowing out the competition. He will be a distant #1 next year, thus fueling his ego even further.

(I know, I know, call me a Kobe hater)

I'm sorry but this is the most greedy thing ever. The only reason, and quote me on this, that Kobe wants to change his number is because he was 4th in jersey sales last year. Now everyone's going to have to get a "new" Kobe jersey, thus blowing out the competition. He will be a distant #1 next year, thus fueling his ego even further.

(I know, I know, call me a Kobe hater)

I think would have picked a better number if that was his sole motivation. Plus knowing how ego driven that POS SHaq is he would have been doing this for years to make sure his jersey was always on top.

Actually, I think the jersey sales thing makes perfect sense, considering Kobe's ego.

I remember Grant Hill jersey sales just killed jordan's #45 in 1995, then MJ went back to #23.

I'm sorry but this is the most greedy thing ever. The only reason, and quote me on this, that Kobe wants to change his number is because he was 4th in jersey sales last year. Now everyone's going to have to get a "new" Kobe jersey, thus blowing out the competition. He will be a distant #1 next year, thus fueling his ego even further.

(I know, I know, call me a Kobe hater)

I think would have picked a better number if that was his sole motivation. Plus knowing how ego driven that POS SHaq is he would have been doing this for years to make sure his jersey was always on top.


Yeah but what is a good number? Just because it's a number that not a whole lot of good players have had (besides Cleaves) doesn't make it a bad number. He's trying to make it unique.

Who cares why he's doing it?

It's a fucking number. It doesn't matter at all IMO.

Mo,

I see your point but when I think of 8, and the NBA I think Kobe, I know others have wore 8 but to me Kobe is 8 when it comes to the NBA. What I was saying is if Kobe was doing it to stand out or send a message, he could have chose 34 or 23 if it was only about PR.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2459075


Amare to change jersey number from No. 32 to No. 1

By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

The fresh start Amare Stoudemire hopes to make next season doesn't stop at the knees.

Stoudemire, never shy about proclaiming his potential for greatness, will be wearing a new jersey in 2006-07 -- No. 1 -- after a '05-06 season in which he was limited to three games because of two knee surgeries.

ESPN.com has learned that Stoudemire formally applied to the league before the March 3 deadline to change his jersey number from 32 to 1 starting next season. For a player to change numbers without being traded, he must have worn the same number for at least four seasons and complete the application process.

Suns rookie Dijon Thompson wore No. 1 this season. Stoudemire has worn No. 32 since the Suns selected him ninth overall in the 2002 draft and sported No. 12 as a member of the 2004 U.S. Olympic team.

Stoudemire this week confirmed the number change to ESPN.com but said he prefers to address the switch after the season.

The only other player in the league to apply for a number change for next season is the Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, who's moving from No. 8 to No. 24.

League rules dictate that Stoudemire and Bryant will have to keep their new numbers for a minimum of three seasons.

hmm kobe wants to be like Dyess and Amare wants to be like billups. pistons fans are popping up everywhere.

Nice Glenn. There are also other amazing atheletes we've had in a #24 jersey.

http://www.nba.com/media/nbdl/Tremaine_Fowlkes_Action.jpg

Nice Glenn. There are also other amazing atheletes we've had in a #24 jersey.

http://www.nba.com/media/nbdl/Tremaine_Fowlkes_Action.jpg

Yes he was very athletic. Unfortunately not really a great player.:(