By the Numbers

In 1992, Charles Barkley shed for one season his traditional #34 for #32 in honor of Magic Johnson who retired because of his contraction of the HIV virus. There was a slight problem there as #32 in Philadelphia has been retired in honor of former Sixers great and coach Billy Cunningham. Fearing a public relations nightmare, Sixers management and Cunningham acquiesced without further fanfare. Chuck had crossed a line that would soon wear real thin in the next few years.





When Rick Fox was traded from the Boston Celtics to the Los Angeles Lakers he switched from #44 to #17 in honor of his former team’s failed campaign for a 17th banner.




















The Yankees’ future Hall-of-Famer Mariano Rivera is the last player to wear #42. Major League Baseball has retired #42 in honor of the late great Jackie Robinson who broke the color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers decades ago. And for Mo, it’s nice to be in great company.

This year another former Yankee will wear a number intrinsically linked to his club’s fate. New manager and former player, bench coach, and broadcaster Joe Girardi has been announced that he’s the Bronx club’s 32nd manager in its illustrious history. And he will be wearing #27. Girardi has the albatross, the monkey, and the hopes of the entire pinstriped nation (not to mention George Steinbrenner’s long shadow right behind him) on his back.

The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a 16-page supplement on Michael Jordan the day after his second retirement. Incredible when you think that he never played for the Sixers at all. Also as a gesture of ultimate respect, the Miami Heat retired the #23 in honor of His Airness. I don’t think Shaq’s jersey will ever be retired in South Beach even if he did help bring a title to Miami. But MJ’s is.


David Beckham wore #23 with Real Madrid because teammate Raul was sporting #7 for Los Blancos. Said Becks in his autobiography,

Now (Real Madrid great) Alfredo Di Stefano stepped forward with a Madrid team shirt in his hands. We shook hands, photographers calling out:

‘Over her, David! Aqui, aqui – por favor – Senors!”

We held the shirt out in front of us:

“Turn it around. Turn it around!”

There was a sudden burst of shutters clicking from a couple hundred of cameras.

“Veinte y tres.”

Then a moment later: “Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan”
“He’s (Jordan) not just a hero for me, then. It was my turn now.”

Now that Becks is with the Los Angeles Galaxy where he still wears #23, Wesley Sneijder has inherited the #23 in the Real Madrid midfield.

When Shawn Kemp was still the Rain Man of the Seattle Supersonics, he sported the #40. By the time he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers where he was a bulkier version of his death-defying self, he shod the “0” from “40” saying the additional “0” weighed him down more.

After Larry Bird defended Ron Artest over the Malice of the Palace incident, the following year, Artest decided to wear Dennis Rodman’s #91 saying that he felt a certain kinship for being misunderstood. Well, Rodman wasn’t only a former Defensive Player of the Year like Artest, but he also had five NBA championship rings as a legitimate member and solid contributor on all his title teams.

Grunge pioneers Pearl Jam named their first album “10” in honor of then New Jersey Net Mookie Blaylock.

It was 21 years ago when the Celtics won their last title. Twenty-one was Kevin Garnett’s number while in Minnesota.