The Biggest Jersey Number Changes In Sports History
- Famous athletes like Jordan, Kobe, and LeBron have made transformative number changes over their careers.
There are certain things in sports that are almost considered sacred. Team logos, championship banners, retired jerseys, and even the uniforms themselves can carry decades of history. But perhaps nothing becomes more personally connected to an athlete than the number on the back of their jersey.
For some players, a jersey number is simply assigned to them. For others, it becomes part of their identity. Numbers can represent childhood heroes, family members, birth dates, lucky numbers, or defining moments in an athlete’s career. Once a superstar has worn a number long enough, fans can begin to associate that number with the player just as much as their name.
That’s why it can be so jarring when an athlete suddenly switches numbers. Fans have spent years watching a player wear one number, buying their jerseys and associating that number with some of the biggest moments of their career. Meanwhile, for the athlete, changing numbers can be a major decision — sometimes because of personal meaning, sometimes because of a new chapter in their career and sometimes because the number simply isn’t available.
As the latest Jayden Daniels drama has shown us, players can take their numbers very seriously. Daniels’ former No. 5 at LSU was recently given to sophomore cornerback DJ Pickett, prompting Daniels’ representatives to send LSU a cease-and-desist letter over the use of his name, image and likeness. Daniels’ situation is the latest reminder that jersey numbers can carry far more weight than fans might realize.
And throughout sports history, some number changes have been much bigger than others. From superstars changing iconic numbers to players completely reinventing their identities, here are some of the biggest jersey number changes sports has ever seen.
Allen Iverson — No. 3 to No. 1 to No. 3
Allen Iverson became almost inseparable from No. 3 during his time with the Philadelphia 76ers, wearing it throughout the overwhelming majority of his career. The one major exception came after he was traded to the Detroit Pistons in 2008, when Iverson switched to No. 1 because No. 3 was already being used by Rodney Stuckey. Iverson wore No. 1 for Detroit before returning to his familiar No. 3 with the Memphis Grizzlies, and later the 76ers. His brief run in No. 1 is still one of the strangest sights for fans who grew up seeing Iverson in No. 3.
Carmelo Anthony — No. 15 to No. 7
Carmelo Anthony wore No. 15 at Syracuse and throughout his seven-plus seasons with the Denver Nuggets, making the number closely associated with the beginning of his NBA career. When he was traded to the New York Knicks in 2011, however, he couldn’t wear 15 because the franchise had retired it for Earl Monroe and Dick McGuire. Anthony also couldn’t use his high school number, 22, because the Knicks had retired that number for Dace DeBusschere, so he settled on No. 7. The choice had personal meaning: Anthony said his son Kiyan’s birthday is March 7, while he also pointed out that 22 minus 15 equals 7.
David Beckham — No. 7 to No. 23 to No. 32 to No. 23
David Beckham’s No. 7 became legendary during his Manchester United years, but he left it behind when he joined Real Madrid in 2003 and took No. 23. He continued wearing 23 with the LA Galaxy, but switched to No. 32 during his loan spells with AC Milan because 23 and 7 were unavailable. Beckham later explained that he chose 32 partly because of his admiration for basketball legend Magic Johnson, who wore No. 32. He ultimately returned to No. 23 with the Galaxy and wore 32 again during his final professional stop with Paris Saint-Germain.
Deion Sanders — No. 18/24 to No. 21 to No. 37
Deion Sanders had one of the most unusual jersey number histories because he played professional baseball and football at the same time. During his 1989 season with the New York Yankees, Sanders wore both No. 18 and No. 24 before settling into No. 21, the number that became synonymous with “Prime Time” during his NFL career. Sanders wore No. 21 with the Falcons, 49ers, Cowboys and Redskins, among others, before returning to the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens in 2004 and switching to No. 37. He wore 37 for his final two NFL seasons, giving him a number that was recognizable but nowhere near as iconic as 21.
Ichiro Suzuki — No. 51 to No. 31 to No. 51
Ichiro’s No. 51 became one of the most recognizable numbers in baseball during his years with the Seattle Mariners, but he willingly gave it up when he was traded to the New York Yankees in 2012. Rather than ask for 51, Ichiro chose No. 31 out of respect for Bernie Williams, who had worn 51 throughout his entire Yankees career and whose number had not been issued since his 2006 retirement. Ichiro specifically acknowledged that 51 was special to him, but he said he wanted to respect what the number meant in Yankees history. He returned to No. 51 after leaving New York for the Miami Marlins in 2015.
Jim Otto — No. 50 to No. 00
Jim Otto’s jersey number change might be the strangest one on this entire list. The Raiders center wore No. 50 during his rookie season in 1960 before equipment manager Frank Hinek suggested that Otto switch to “00,” a number that played off his name and gave him a distinctive identity. Otto adopted the number in 1961 and wore it for the rest of his 15-year career with the Raiders. “00” became so closely associated with Otto that the NFL eventually prohibited teams from issuing the number, making his jersey one of the most unique in football history.
Joe Montana — No. 16 to No. 19
Joe Montana spent the overwhelming majority of his legendary San Francisco 49ers career wearing No. 16, a number that became synonymous with his four Super Bowl championships. When Montana was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in 1993, he had an unusual opportunity to reclaim two other numbers from his past. The Chiefs offered him No. 3, which he wore at Notre Dame, and No. 16, which had been retired in Kansas City for Len Dawson, while Montana ultimately chose No. 19. That number had personal history for Montana because he had worn it in youth football and briefly during training camp with San Francisco in 1979.
Kevin Durant — No. 35 to No. 7 to No. 35
Kevin Durant wore No. 35 throughout his entire pre-NBA career and his first 12 NBA seasons with Seattle/Oklahoma City and Golden State. When he joined the Brooklyn Nets in 2019, Durant decided to make a clean break and switched to No. 7, making it the first time he had changed numbers as a professional. Durant described 35 as the number that had taken him and his family from Seat Pleasant, Maryland, and “showed us the world,” but said he wanted a new number for the next chapter of his career. After joining the Phoenix Suns, Durant returned to No. 35 in 2023, restoring the number that had defined his career for so long. When KD was traded to Houston, he once again adopted the No. 7.
Kobe Bryant — No. 8 to No. 24
Kobe Bryant’s switch from No. 8 to No. 24 is one of the rare jersey changes where both numbers became legendary with the same team. Bryant wore No. 8 for his first 10 Lakers seasons before changing to 24 ahead of the 2006-07 season, saying he wanted a new number for the second half of his career. No. 24 also had personal significance because Bryant had worn it earlier in high school, before switching to No. 33. The Lakers eventually retired both No. 8 and No. 24, making Bryant the first player in NBA history to have two numbers retired by the same franchise.
LeBron James — No. 23 to No. 6 to No. 23
LeBron James has gone back and forth between No. 23 and No. 6 throughout his career, with both numbers now carrying significant meaning. He wore 23 during his first stint with Cleveland, switched to 6 after joining Miami, returned to 23 when he went back to Cleveland and initially wore 23 with the Lakers before switching to 6 in Los Angeles. James returned to No. 23 for the 2023-24 season after the NBA retired No. 6 throughout the league in honor of Bill Russell. The result is one of the most recognizable number changes in the modern NBA, with LeBron having championship-defining moments attached to both numbers. James will once again dawn the iconic No. 23 for his new team, the Philadelphia 76ers.
Lionel Messi — No. 30 to No. 19 to No. 10 to No. 30 to No. 10
Lionel Messi’s jersey number journey essentially mirrors the progression of his career from teenage prodigy to global superstar. He began his Barcelona first-team career wearing No. 30, moved to No. 19 and eventually inherited the legendary No. 10, which. he wore for more than a decade. When Messi joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2021, he returned to No. 30 because Neymar occupied No. 10, giving fans a glimpse of the number he wore during his earliest Barcelona years. Messi wore 30 for his first two seasons at PSG before returning to No. 10 for the final portion of his PSG tenure and then continuing with 10 at Inter Miami.
Michael Jordan — No. 23 to No. 45 to No. 23
Michael Jordan’s switch from No. 23 to No. 45 and back remains perhaps the most famous jersey number change in sports history. When Jordan returned to the Chicago Bulls in 1995 after his first retirement, he wore No. 45, the number he had used while playing baseball and the number he had previously worn in basketball. After Chicago’s Game 1 loss to Orlando in the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals, Nick Anderson famously questioned whether Jordan was still the same player in 45, and Jordan returned to 23 before Game 2. The NBA fined the Bulls $25,000 for the unreported switch and later imposed another $100,000 in fines as Jordan continued wearing 23 through the remainder of the series and his career.
Randy Moss — No. 18 to No. 84 to No. 18 to No. 81 to No. 84
Randy Moss’ number history is much more complicated than the No. 84 that became linked with him in Minnesota. Moss wore No. 18 at Marshall but had to wear No. 84 when he entered the NFL with the Vikings because wide receivers weren’t permitted to wear numbers in the teens under the rules at the time. After being traded to Oakland i 2005, Moss switched back to No. 18 because Jerry Porter already had 84, taking advantage of a rule change that allowed receivers to wear number 10-19. Moss later wore No. 81 with the New England Patriots before returning to No. 84 with the Titans, Vikings and San Francisco 49ers, meaning he ultimately wore three different numbers during his NFL career.
Cristiano Ronaldo — No. 28 to No. 7 to No. 9 to No. 7
Cristiano Ronaldo’s transformation from No. 28 to No. 7 is one of the most consequential number changes in soccer history. Ronaldo wore No. 28 when he broke into the Sporting CP first team, but Sir Alex Ferguson gave him Manchester United’s famous No. 7 shirt when he arrived in England in 2003. The number had previously belonged to legends including George Best, Eric Cantona and David Beckham, but Ronaldo quickly made it his own and eventually turned “CR7” into a global brand. When he joined Real Madrid, he initially wore No. 9 because No. 7 was occupied by Raúl, but he reclaimed No. 7 after Raúl left and has worn it for the vast majority of his career since.
Shaquille O’Neal — No. 32 to No. 34 to No. 32 to No. 33 to No. 36
Shaquille O’Neal changed numbers several times during his NBA career, largely due to the circumstances of his different teams. He wore No. 32 with the Orlando Magic before switching to No. 34 after joining the Lakers because No. 32 was retired in honor of Magic Johnson and No. 33 was retired for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar; 34 also honored his stepfather, who wore the number in the Army. Shaq returned to No. 32 with the Miami Heat, then wore No. 33 with Cleveland and No. 36 during his final season with Boston. Despite all those changes, 32 and 34 remain the numbers most strongly associated with the four-time champion.
The Biggest Jersey Number Changes In Sports History was originally published on cassiuslife.com
