What are your main reasons why Kobe changed his number? I have heard alot of different things and was wondering what all of you thought. Right now I am kind of convinced he did it to make more money on jersey sales. But, what do you guys think he made the change?
Maybe after he score 81+ points that game vs Toronto Kobe felt he should be one number and one step ahead of Jordan.
Yeah, I heard that too. Also, since Lamar's number is 7, I guess they will start a 24/7 type of thing. Me, personally, I love number 8, and I think its stupid that he's changing numbers, but as long as Kobe continues to play at a high level, I dont care if he changes numbers every season. Also, number 24 gives him a fresh start, so to speak. He was involved in many controversial subjects in #8, like the rape trial, his feud with Shaq, and ect. It just kind of gives him a clean slate
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting antonyo09:</div><div class="quote_post">I thought they said he wore it in his early high school career</div> Yeah, I heard that too. Also, since Lamar's number is 7, I guess they will start a 24/7 type of thing. Me, personally, I love number 8, and I think its stupid that he's changing numbers, but as long as Kobe continues to play at a high level, I dont care if he changes numbers every season. Also, number 24 gives him a fresh start, so to speak. He was involved in many controversial subjects in #8, like the rape trial, his feud with Shaq, and ect. It just kind of gives him a clean slate
i think that he just wants to start over and reinvent himself. As for why 24? I think its because it was his high school and 33 was taken. That jordan thing is stupid
Number 8 was legendary. If he kept it people would always remember Kobe as Number 8. It was unique for him. The years he won his championships in. I don't think 24 Kobe will stand up to the 8 Kobe.
i heard it was high school number also. im personally not a kobe fan, so im kind of hoping this will cause him to have a bad season, altohugh i doubt that will happen, hes too good.
Kobe's smart enough to know that a simple number change isn't going to change his image, I have no idea why decided to change years from now I'm still going to associate Kobe w/ number 8.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting hoops4life:</div><div class="quote_post">i heard it was high school number also. im personally not a kobe fan, so im kind of hoping this will cause him to have a bad season, altohugh i doubt that will happen, hes too good.</div> I dont believe in all that stuff. lol. Funny, alot of people think he'll suck because he is not wearing his original NBA number.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting TheFreshPrince:</div><div class="quote_post">i think that he just wants to start over and reinvent himself. As for why 24? I think its because it was his high school and 33 was taken. That jordan thing is stupid</div> What you and Brian said are true. He also said jokingly that he did it because him and his wife love the show 24.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting shapecity:</div><div class="quote_post">He wants to be the first player in NBA history to have two numbers retired.</div> ha, wouldn't that be something... but it makes you wonder, which jersey would they retire?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Flashback:</div><div class="quote_post">ha, wouldn't that be something... but it makes you wonder, which jersey would they retire?</div> I dont really think they will retire both of his jerseys to be honest with you. They will probably just retire the jersey he was most successful with, which as of now is number 8.
It's be cool if they retired one banner with both of his numbers on it and Bryant at the bottom. Anyways, I don't remember him wearing 24 at Merion, I just saw clips of him wearing 33, but I guess he wore 24 before he wore 33. I don't mind 24 or whatever number he picks, but it'll take a while to get used to it. I think if he changes to 24 and he doesn't do well (team-wise), maybe he'll pull a Jordan, change it back to his orginal number and lead the Lakers somewhere again. But that's just a story I created (like ESPN does). I like the fresh start ideology, but I've idolized him with the #8 growing up and I still plan to buy all his #8 jerseys, whather he's number 24 or not.
I heard he had that number in his high school. For those people who think that he is picking number 24 so he can be 1 higher than Jordan is completly wrong. He is picking 24 because he had it in high school.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Kobe Bryant's fans might have to buy another jersey next season. That's because multiple sources have told ESPN.com that Bryant will change his number to 24 next season. Bryant began his career at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pa., wearing No. 24. But by 1996 -- the year he led the school to the state championship -- he had switched to No. 33, the number his father Joe "Jelly Bean" Bryant wore in high school. In order for a player to change jersey numbers at will, he either has to change teams or have the team inform the league of the decision more than six months in advance. Players who stay with the same team must have worn the same number for four seasons or longer. Sources say the Lakers informed the league of Bryant's wish to change his number by this year's March 3 deadline. Calls placed to Bryant's agent Rob Pelinka and the Lakers were not immediately returned. Over the past few months, Kobe Bryant's popularity has been on the rise again. His jersey was the fourth-best seller this season, up one spot from last year's position, according to sales at the NBA Store in Manhattan and on NBA.com. When Bryant came into the league, he couldn't take the No. 33 because it had been retired seven years earlier by the Lakers in honor of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Bryant arrived at the No. 8 for two reasons. It was the number he wore when he was a kid playing in Italy. It also tied into the number he wore at Adidas' ABCD Camp, 143. The numbers add up to 8. Bryant's switch is the NBA's most significant jersey number change since the 1994-95 season, when Michael Jordan came out of retirement wearing the No. 45 for the final 22 games of the season. Jordan's No. 23 had been retired by the Bulls in his honor. For the next three seasons, Jordan went back to the No. 23. League veteran Jim Jackson, who signed with the Lakers in March, now wears No. 24. Six NBA teams have retired the number: the Boston Celtics (Sam Jones), Golden State Warriors (Rick Barry), Houston Rockets (Moses Malone), New York Knicks (Bill Bradley), Philadelphia 76ers (Bobby Jones) and Phoenix Suns (Tom Chambers). </div> Link http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2421874
I personally think that his number change is a way to show corporate america that he is still a hot commodity. Since obviously no one has his #24 Jersey yet, this might be a huge ploy to get Kobe's Jersey to be the #1 best seller. After the season is over his rep's can turn to endorsers and be like "look, he's playing well and he just sold 5 million jersey's, let's sign him to some contracts." It's a risk that might not play out but if I'm right and it Endorsers bite, we'll see him in a lot more commercials in the near future. That's just my take on it though.
It kinda pisses me off though, I have like 7 number 8 jerseys, lol. And I really hope Nike does some cool gimmick with Odom and Kobe and the 24/7 thing like someone else mentioned.
