Kobe Bryant: The Great Debate of 24 vs. 8

Feb 16, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard

speaks during a press conference before the 2014 NBA All-Star Game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

With Kobe Bryant entering the (likely) final 2 years of his career as an NBA player, some questions come to mind; will he go out as productive has he has been his entire career? Will the Lakers be playoff contenders? Will he be in a position to win his 6th ring? Only time can answer those questions. Other questions, need not be asked, such as will he be in the Hall of Fame (YES, 1st ballot, no question), will the Lakers retire his jersey (obviously), will he get a statue outside of Staples Center (very likely).

A couple unique things about Bryant’s career is that he has spent the entirety of it with the Lakers. He is one of 3 active hall of famers to have spent their entire careers with one team; Dirk Nowitzki with the Dallas Mavericks and Tim Duncan with the San Antonio Spurs. Bryant however, is the only player of those mentioned to have changed his jersey number mid-career, from #8 to #24. Now while there is no question the Lakers will absolutely hang his jersey from the rafters after he retires, there is question as to which number, if they don’t retire both. Let’s look at the case for each number:

#8

– Multiple All-Star, all NBA and Defensive teams (All-Star MVP 2002)

– 2nd best player on 3 championship teams (2000, 01, 02)

– Runner up MVP candidate (2006)

– 81 points scored in a single game, 2nd most in NBA history

#24

– Multiple All-Star, all NBA and Defensive teams (All-Star MVP 2007, 2009, 2011)

– 2x Finals MVP (2009, 2010)

– League MVP (2008)

As you can see, the case can easily be made for either, if not both numbers. So if the Lakers can only choose one number, which should it be?