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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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Horace Grant
Horace Grant (Photo credit should read DOUG COLLIER/AFP/Getty Images) /

Greatest NBA Player to wear each jersey number: 54, Horace Grant

In a draft class that produced seven future All-Stars, Horace Grant was drafted 10th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 1987 NBA Draft. The 6’10” forward was a dominant physical force in the paint during his prime and helped three different teams reach the NBA Finals. His physical nature and defensive acumen earned him nicknames like “The General” and “The Enforcer.”

As a member of the Chicago Bulls, Grant played a significant role in helping the franchise win three consecutive titles before Michael Jordan’s abrupt retirement following the 1993 season. From 1992-1996, Grant was named All-Defensive Second-team for four consecutive seasons and made his only appearance in an All-Star game in the 1993-94 season.

Following his All-Star season with the Bulls and a playoff loss to the New York Knicks, Grant jumped ship as a free agent to team up with Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway and helped lead the Orlando Magic to the franchise’s first NBA Finals appearance. However, they would get swept by the Houston Rockets.

Six years later, Grant would join the Los Angeles Lakers and helped the team win their second championship in as many years. After winning the fourth championship of his career, Grant went back to Orlando for two more seasons before rejoining the Lakers in the summer of 2003. He would once again help the Lakers reach the NBA Finals, but this time they would fall the Detroit Pistons, despite having four future Hall of Famers on their roster.

If you know of Horace Grant, you remember the iconic goggles that he wore during games because he was nearsighted. Many may not know that Grant had corrective eye surgery to fix the issue but continued to wear the goggles to inspire kids who wore glasses.

Although he may never be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Grant had a rather successful career. Six NBA Finals appearances, a four-time champion, four-time All-Defensive, and All-Star. The greatest player to ever don the number 54.

Honorable Mention: Luke Jackson

Greatest NBA Player to wear each jersey number: 53, Artis Gilmore

Artis Gilmore became the first player in league history to wear the number 53, and although 27 other players have elected to do the same since then, none are even close to the same stratosphere as Gilmore. He was selected in both the NBA and ABA Drafts in 1971 but elected to play in the ABA for the Kentucky Colonels. As a 22-year-old rookie, Gilmore was named ABA Rookie of the Year and ABA MVP with averages of 23.8 points, 17.8 rebounds (league-high), 2.7 assists, and 5 blocks per game while also leading the league in field goal percentage (59.8 percent).

In his first five years as a professional hooper, Gilmore was so dominant that he led the league in rebounding four times, made five All-Star teams, won AS-MVP, won MVP, ROY, made the All-ABA First-team five times, the All-Defensive team four times, and won an ABA championship.

Following the ABA-NBA merger, Gilmore joined the Chicago Bulls as the number one overall pick of the ABA dispersal draft. He spent six seasons with the Bulls, averaging a double-double in five of those seasons and earning four All-Star nods along the way. After his time in Chicago, he joined forces with George Gervin, forming a deadly one-two punch combo for the San Antonio Spurs. The A-Train led the league in field goal percentage From 1981-1984.

Though he retired with only one championship in 17 seasons, Gilmore played in a time where big men dominated the league and still experienced one of the most dominant runs for an individual player in professional basketball history.

Honorable Mention: Mark Eaton