[onlooker]

Looks like he is going to wear #24 next season , the number he had in High School.

The NBA should love this. More jersey sales.

Bryant will hang up his No. 8 jersey, sources say

By Darren Rovell
ESPN.com

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).

[bigboydan]

i guess he wants to be like Mike

i give this one year before he switches back to his #8

[Bill Dozer]

I'm sure Nike, Bengay or whoever he works for would have had him hang up the 8 the day the trial ended if they could.

[Mudcat]

With this precedent set, I wouldn't be surprised to see more of this from other players in coming years.

Don't care for it myself.

[justbet]

great way to sell more jerseys. i hate the idea though

[onlooker]

With this precedent set, I wouldn't be surprised to see more of this from other players in coming years.

Don't care for it myself.

Thats why it sucks to buy pro sports jerseys. Because who knows what these guys are going to do, or where they will end up.

Stern shouldnt allow it, but Im sure he sees the dollar signs all over it for the NBA, from the Kobe and Laker fans buying up the new 24 Kobe jersey.

I dont like it myself.

[Illusion]

great way to sell more jerseys. i hate the idea though

Exactly what I was thinking. Anything to make an extra buck.

[slacker00]

This guy is getting pretty desperate to be Michael Jordan. Personally, I hope he gets there, because Jordan was just incredible to watch. Jordan II promises to be a typical sucky sequel, but at least it's something. I can't believe I'm starting to become more of a fan of Kobe than Shaq. I was 100% in Shaq's corner when he left LA. Bring on #24, #99, or whatever he wants to wear. Let him wear a jockstrap on his head for all I care, it's all just entertainment.

[imgv94]

I dont like it myself. I think it's corny and lame to change your jersey #.
I never got used to Jordan wearing #45. I guess anything for a buck like
Illusion and justbet said. This is the part of the Sports industry I dont
like when they get greedy.

[slacker00]

Jordan wearing #45 was about the corniest thing he ever did to soil his brilliant career. Even more apalling to me than his gambling "problems".

As for Kobe switching to #24, I don't think we will know the full effect until a year or two from now. If he rips off another 3-peat wearing #24 the whole time, we might forget that he ever wore #8. But, if he wears #24 for a couple months, shoots nothing but bricks and switches back to #8, we'll be heckling him as much as we heckled Jordan for wearing #45. Performance will be the final judge.

[onlooker]

He should switch to #81. Since everyone made such a big deal about his 81 point game, he might as well wear it.

[slacker00]

And he should remove "Bryant" from the back and just put "The Rapist" a la "He hate me" from the XFL.

I vote that he wears #23 and "Jordan" on his back. First he needs to learn some better defense, though.

[imgv94]

And he should remove "Bryant" from the back and just put "The Rapist" a la "He hate me" from the XFL.

He didn't rape that slut. He just tried to lay the pipe
in her ass and she wasn't for it.

[isetcap]

He didn't rape that slut. He just tried to lay the pipe
in her ass and she wasn't for it.

She was only 19, IMG. She wasn't ready for experimentation on that level. What's really inappropriate is him forcing Gnash to blow him off while cameras were around. He's obviously a sexual deviant.

[tacomax]

Exactly what I was thinking. Anything to make an extra buck.

How often do teams change their strip in NBA? Or American sports in general for that matter?

[JoshW]

Guys who buy jerseys like to buy them, right? Another excuse to buy one. Win, win for everyone. :|