Greatest NBA Player to wear each jersey number: 30, Stephen Curry
This man needs no introduction, one of the most transcendent players of all time. There’s no way Stephen Curry can be left off this list. Widely regarded as the greatest shooter to ever live, Curry revolutionized the way the NBA game is played with his long-range shooting. Once considered a gimmick, the 3-point shot is now the most sought-after and utilized shot in the game.
He is an elite ball handler that can spot up or shoot off the dribble from anywhere on the court regardless of the number of defenders on him. He’s won two 3-point contests, led the league in 3-pointers made six times, he’s a member of the 50-40-90 club, holds the record for most 3-pointers in a single season, won the 2016 scoring title, led the league in free throw percentage four times, and currently ranks second behind Ray Allen for most career 3-pointers.
He won back-to-back MVP awards in 2015 and 2016, becoming the first guard since Steve Nash to win the award two years in a row and the only unanimous winner in league history.
If you exclude the 2019-20 season in which he only played in five games due to a broken hand and the season being cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Curry has never shot less than 41 percent from three-point range in a season. He’s won three NBA titles in five appearances, made seven All-Star teams and six All-NBA teams.
Curry only recently turned 33 and already holds the Warriors regular-season record for points, assists, and 3-pointers, as well as the franchise’s playoffs record for points, assists, steals, and 3-pointers. He is currently averaging 31.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 1.7 steals in 34.1 minutes per game with astounding shooting splits .483/.421/.918.
When it’s all said and done, and Curry decides to throw his kicks on the wire, someone is going to have to write a book detailing all the records he broke and all of his accomplishments in the NBA.
Honorable Mention: Bernard King
Greatest NBA Player to wear each jersey number: 29, Paul Silas
Paul Silas was in the second round of the 1964 NBA Draft by the St. Louis Hawks. He played for five teams over 16 seasons, winning three NBA titles along the way, though none came while he was wearing the number 29.
He played eight seasons (five with the Hawks, three with the Phoenix Suns) wearing the number 29. He averaged a double-double in four of those seasons and made his first All-Star team during that time. In his final two seasons with the Suns, he was named to his first two All-Defensive teams (he was named to five consecutive All-Defensive teams in his career).
Silas had a reputation of being a tremendous rebounder and a tough, stout defender, but the latter is hard to quantify since the league didn’t start tracking steals and blocks until the 1973-74 season, nine years into his career.
Fun fact. When Silas was drafted in 1964, there were only nine NBA teams; by the time he retired in 1980, that number grew to 22.
Honorable Mention: Pervis Ellison