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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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Pau Gasol
Pau Gasol (Photo credit should read FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images) /

Greatest NBA Player to wear each jersey number: 16, Pau Gasol

Pau Gasol was one of the most skilled big men to ever grace an NBA court. He was drafted with the third overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks but was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Jamaal Tinsley. He would go on to win the 2002 Rookie of the Year award after appearing in all 82 games and averaging 17.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.1 blocks per game.

Gasol possessed a smooth and versatile post-up game, he could also face up his opponents and take it to the rack off the dribble or pull-up in the mid-range, and he was an amazing playmaker for his size. According to statmuse, Gasol is one of eight players in league history to record at least 20,000 points, 11,000 rebounds, and 1,900 blocks in their career.

He played 18 seasons with four different teams in the NBA, winning two championships in three trips to the NBA Finals playing alongside Kobe Bryant as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. He was also named to six All-Star teams and four All-NBA teams during his career.

While playing in the NBA, he continued to play international basketball, leading the Spain national team to a gold medal in the 2006 FIBA Basketball World Cup, three FIBA Eurobasket gold medals (2009, 2011, 2015) and a silver medal in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic games.

Gasol last appeared in an NBA game in 2019, and in Feb. 2021, he returned to Spain to play for FC Barcelona.

Honorable Mention: Bob Lanier

Greatest NBA Player to wear each jersey number: 15, Vince Carter

Vince Carter was drafted with the fifth overall pick by the Golden State Warriors in the 1998 NBA Draft. He was part of a draft-day trade that sent him to the Toronto Raptors, where he played for the six-and-a-half seasons of his NBA career.

With a reputation as a high-flyer and dynamic dunker, Carter earned the moniker “Half-Man, Half-Amazing.” He is widely considered the greatest in-game dunker of all time. He consistently posterized anyone who dares get in his way, and his fastbreak dunks were a staple on ESPN’S Sportscenter. He won the Slam Dunk Contest in 2000. In that competition, Carter jumped so high that he shoved his arm inside the rim for one of his dunks, hanging by his elbow.

From 2000-2009, Carter averaged 23.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He was selected to eight consecutive All-Star games from 2000-2007, and he was also selected to two All-NBA teams during that span.

The 1999 Rookie of the Year played for eight different teams across 22 seasons, and in 2010, he helped the Orlando Magic reach the Eastern Conference Finals, but they fell two games short of Carter reaching his first-ever NBA Finals.

Once a prolific scorer and one of the most feared offensive weapons in the league, when his athleticism started to fade, Carter remodeled his game and took on a lesser role for the second half of his career.

He retired at the end of the 2019-2020 season, making him the first and only player in NBA history to play 22 seasons and in four different decades.

Honorable Mention: Carmelo Anthony