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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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James Worthy
James Worthy (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

Greatest NBA Player to wear each jersey number: 42, James Worthy

The Los Angeles Lakers selected James Worthy with the first overall pick in the 1982 NBA Draft. Playing alongside all-time greats Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabaar as a member of the Showtime Lakers, Worthy played in seven conference finals and made six trips to the NBA Finals, winning three championships by the age of 26.

He used his speed and athleticism to make dazzling plays in the open court and play above the rim, but the 6’9″ do-it-all forward also possessed an elite post package and was one of the more versatile scorers of his time.

Big Game James was named the 1988 NBA Finals MVP after a historic Game 7 performance in a victory against the Detroit Pistons, in which he recorded 36 points, 17 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals while shooting 68.2 percent from the field. He averaged 22 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists while shooting nearly 50 percent for the series.

Worthy is a seven-time All-Star, three-time NBA champion, and made two All-NBA teams. He averaged a steady 17.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game for his career during the regular season, but he always seemed to find another gear in the playoffs. In 143 playoff games, Worthy averaged 21.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting an impressive 54.4 percent from the field.

Honorable Mention: Nate Thurmond

Greatest NBA Player to wear each jersey number: 41, Dirk Nowitzki

Dirk Nowitzki was drafted out of Germany with the ninth overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and was almost immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks. He would go on to play his entire 21-year NBA career with the Mavericks. He is the most iconic European player to ever set foot on an NBA court and is widely regarded as the best European player ever and one of the best power forwards of all time.

With Nowitzki as their leader, the Mavericks 15 playoff appearances, including the franchise’s only two NBA Finals appearances in 2006 and 2011. In 2011 he finally captured the elusive Larry O’Brien trophy and was named the 2011 Finals MVP after a stellar performance against the Miami Heatles. He averaged 26 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2 assists with an impressive .416/.368/.978 shooting splits in the six-game series. He also set the record for consecutive free throws made (26) in the Finals.

He was named to 12 All-NBA teams and played in 14 All-Star games, including 11 consecutive from 2002-2012. Known for his versatility scoring ability, dead-eye marksmanship from outside, and trademark fadeaway jump shot; Nowitzki won the 2006 NBA 3-point contest, and in 2007 he became the fifth person in league history to join the exclusive 50/40/90 club while simultaneously becoming the first European player to win the regular-season MVP award.

After 21 seasons with the franchise, it’s no surprise that Dirk holds virtually every franchise record, including games played, points, field goals made and attempted, made 3-pointers, free throws, rebounds, blocks, and win shares.

Nowitzki is currently sixth all-time in career points and one of just eight players in league history to score at least 30,000 points in his career. He is also one of just three players with at least 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists, 1,000 steals, and 1,000 blocks, and the only player to score at least 20,000 points and accumulate at least 1,000 blocks and 1,000 3-pointers.

Honorable Mention: Jamaal Wilkes