Hoops Habit
Fansided

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) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
27 of 46
Next
Rasheed Wallace
Rasheed Wallace, Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images /

Greatest NBA Player to wear each jersey number: 36, Rasheed Wallace

In 2004 Rasheed Wallace was traded to the Detroit Pistons after playing just one game for the Atlanta Hawks. After helping the Pistons win the 2004 NBA Finals, he changed his jersey number from 30 to 36. In his first full season with the Pistons, Wallace helped them go back to Finals, but they lost to the San Antonio Spurs in seven games.

The Pistons were a team that shared the ball and made sure everyone got a touch, so Wallace’s numbers did take a hit, but he was still a great defender, rebounder, and efficient scorer. He only averaged 13.4 points and 7.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks during his Pistons tenure, but he helped them reach five consecutive conference championships and two NBA Finals.

In 2009 Wallace joined the Boston Celtics and made his seventh and final trip conference championship round of the playoffs, but Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic thwarted the Celtics’ hopes of a title repeat. He retired at the end of the season but would come out of retirement and join the Knicks for the 2012-13 season. He suffered a broken foot midway through the season, and after a one-game return in April that season, he would retire from the NBA for a second and final time.

Honorable Mention: Marcus Smart

Greatest NBA Player to wear each jersey number: 35, Kevin Durant

Drafted by the Seattle Supersonics with the second overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, Kevin Durant has developed into one of the most lethal scorers of all time. A true unicorn standing nearly seven feet tall, with a quick first step, tight handles, and the accuracy of a world-class sniper. Even if the defender forces him into a tough shot, he’s too tall and skilled to make much of a difference, and he will shoot right over them. He immediately took the NBA by storm, winning the 2008 Rookie of the Year award after averaging 20.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists, becoming just the third teenager in league history to average at least 20 points in a season.

Since his rookie year, Durant hasn’t averaged less than 25 points per game, and he led the league in scoring in four out of five years from 2010-2014, and the one season he didn’t (2013), he still averaged 28.1 points per game and joined the exclusive 50-40-90 club with shooting splits of .510/.416/.905.

He’s suffered numerous lower leg injuries throughout his career, including a broken foot and ruptured Achilles, yet he’s still consistently producing at a high level when on the court. In 2014, Durant led the Thunder to 59 wins and second place in the Western Conference with averages of 32 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game, en route to winning his first regular-season MVP.

As a member of the Seattle Supersonics/OKC Thunder, Durant led his team to four conference championships and one NBA Finals appearance, but it wasn’t until he joined the Golden State Warriors during the infamous 2016 free agency that he would finally win his first NBA Finals. The Warriors were coming off back-to-back NBA Finals appearances and a record-breaking 73-9 season when KD moved to the Bay to form arguably the greatest super-team ever assembled.

As a member of the Warriors, Durant made three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals, winning the first two before rupturing his Achilles while trying to play through a calf strain in 2019. The 11x All-Star won NBA Finals MVP in 2017 and 2018.

He played 40 games in four Finals appearances and boasts averages of 30.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists with eye-popping .546/.448/.911 shooting splits.

2019 would be his last season with the Warriors, and wearing the number 35. After rupturing his Achilles in the Finals, KD joined the Brooklyn Nets in free agency and switched to the number 7.

Honorable Mention: Roger Brown