Following the untimely death of Kobe Bryant, NBA players are "informally retiring" the athlete's notable jersey numbers.
Bryant wore the No. 8 jersey since being drafted in 1996 up until 2006. He later switched to the No. 24 jersey which he wore until his retirement, according to The Score.
Sports reporter Shams Charania tweeted on Tuesday that several athletes were retiring the No. 8 and 24 jersey numbers as a tribute to the NBA superstar.
The Brooklyn Nets shared a picture of Spencer Dinwiddie's new jersey number. The Nets guard previously wore the No. 8 jersey before recently changing it to 26.
Honor your people.
Number 26, Spencer Dinwiddie. pic.twitter.com/Y3oZREw602
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) January 28, 2020
"Everything in life evolves. #26," the athlete tweeted.
"We often search for meaning in numbers. And yes you guys have caught a lot of the obvious reasons…There’s one more tho, a person that I often speak about but hold private and most close to my heart. Elijah + Spencer = 20 + 6. Honor your ppl, love you son," Dinwiddie said in another tweet, explaining the meaning behind his new jersey number.
Twitter users were also quick to point out that Bryant passed away on January 26.
Spencer Dinwiddie is changing his jersey from No. 8 to No. 26. Kobe Bryant passed away on the 26th… https://t.co/aCR5hhChdW
— Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) January 28, 2020
The NBA made an exception for Dinwiddie to change his jersey number mid-season, according to The New York Times' Marc Stein.
One person tweeted a list of all the NBA players who currently either wear the No. 8 or 24 on their jerseys.
Players who wear 8 & 24 pic.twitter.com/Tm0693UCu7
— ; (@yonahhhse) January 28, 2020
Kemba Walker, Zhaire Smith and Kent Bazemore were among the list of 34 NBA players with Bryant's jersey numbers.
Orlando Magic's Terrence Ross, who previously wore the No. 8 jersey, opted to honor the late athlete and philanthropist by informally retiring the number. Los Angeles Clippers forward Moe Harkless also retired the No. 8 jersey.
It's unclear if other athletes will continue to retire their jersey numbers, however, some Twitter users thought Bryant might enjoy seeing the players continue to wear his numbers.
Honestly I think Kobe would enjoy and want to see his pupils wear his number rather than retire it. #MambaForever
— Moe Hanuka (@SlamTheSlate) January 28, 2020
I respect any decision players make about their jersey numbers, as it relates to Kobe Bryant's death. But I truly believe that the best way to honor him is to continue wearing Nos. 8 & 24. Every time we see them, we'll know who inspired them & what it means. We'll think about Kob
— Michael Lee (@MrMichaelLee) January 28, 2020
I agree! Maybe retire one of them, but keep the other for that purpose. I think every arena in the NBA should have Kobe's jersey hanging from the rafters… I say that as someone who has NEVER been a Lakers fan.
— Bill Ingram (@TheRocketGuy) January 28, 2020
I feel that Kobe would want his pupils to make their own stories in their own jersey numbers
— SANDAS (@Salman_hameed03) January 28, 2020
The discussion of athletes retiring No. 8 and 24 comes on the heels of the Dallas Mavericks coach saying none of his players will wear Bryant's number again.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban: "Our organization has decided that the number 24 will never again be worn by a Dallas Maverick.”
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 27, 2020
"Our organization has decided that the number 24 will never again be worn by a Dallas Maverick,” Mark Cuban said.
Bryant passed away on Sunday morning alongside his daughter Gianna and seven other passengers during a helicopter crash in California, as Blavity previously reported.
