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Greatest NBA Player to wear each jersey number 00-99

By Larry Hammonds

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant(L) and Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan(R) talk during a free-throw attempt during the fourth quarter 17 December at the United Center in Chicago. Bryant, who is 19 and bypassed college basketball to play in the NBA, scored a team-high 33 points off the bench, and Jordan scored a team-high 36 points. The Bulls defeated the Lakers 104-83. AFP PHOTO VINCENT LAFORET (Photo by VINCENT LAFORET / AFP) (Photo credit should read VINCENT LAFORET/AFP/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant(L) and Chicago Bulls guard Michael Jordan(R) talk during a free-throw attempt during the fourth quarter 17 December at the United Center in Chicago. Bryant, who is 19 and bypassed college basketball to play in the NBA, scored a team-high 33 points off the bench, and Jordan scored a team-high 36 points. The Bulls defeated the Lakers 104-83. AFP PHOTO VINCENT LAFORET (Photo by VINCENT LAFORET / AFP) (Photo credit should read VINCENT LAFORET/AFP/Getty Images) /
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Dennis Rodman
Dennis Rodman (Photo by JOHN HRYNIUK/AFP via Getty Images) /

Greatest NBA Player to wear each jersey number: 70, Dennis Rodman

Well, what do you know? Dennis Rodman has appeared on this list once again. In his final season in an NBA uniform, Rodman elected to wear number 70 while suiting up for the Dallas Mavericks. According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, who was a beat writer for the Mavericks at the time, Rodman requested to wear the number 69, but that request was denied by then-NBA commissioner David Stern.

His tenure in Dallas lasted just 29 days and 12 games, his shortest stint with a single team throughout his storied 14-year career. The Mavericks signed Rodman (who hadn’t played in nearly a year) in Feb. 2000 in hopes of ending a decade-long playoff drought, but he was no longer the elite defender he once was, and the team lost nine of 13 games while he was on the roster.

The Worm served a one-game suspension, got himself ejected from two games, and was the recipient of six technical fouls in a mere 12 games played. Still, he averaged over 14 rebounds per game, including four on the offensive glass.

In the end, Rodman’s inability to impact winning, play effective defense, lack of leadership, and erratic behavior, combined with him publicly bashing his teammates and Mark Cuban, led to his early dismissal from the team after just 12 games played. The Mavericks were on a five-game losing streak when Rodman was abruptly released from his contract.

Honorable Mention: Frank Selvy

Greatest NBA Player to wear each jersey number: 68, Milt Schoon

Milt Schoon is the only player in North American professional men’s basketball history to wear the number 68 on his jersey. He was a member of the Detroit Falcons in the Basketball Association of America’s (BAA) inaugural season. Three years later, the BAA would absorb the Nation Basketball League and rebranded itself as the NBA we know today (not quite the NBA of today as basketball has evolved tremendously over the years, but you get the point).

The 6’7″ center gained notoriety for his ability to defend George Mikan while playing collegiate basketball, but that’s where his rise to fame ends. To say Schoon had a less than stellar career would be an understatement. His professional career lasted just five years across three different leagues. In 41 games with the Falcons, he averaged just 2.9 points per game on 21.6 percent shooting and averaged just 6.0 points per game on 34.2 percent shooting for his career.