NBA
How many former Lakers players have had their numbers retired? Complete list
The LA Lakers will retire Spanish center Paul Gasol’s shirt to honor his career this coming Tuesday.
Over the years, the custom of retiring numbers from teams has become very popular. Some fans really like this new tradition, while others don’t seem to be too happy with it. The fact that no other player will wear that number is too much to some.
Retiring a number means that for life, that specific number will never be worn by anyone else, no matter how good or how much that new player likes that number. The first player to ever have his number retired in the NBA was Bob Pettit. He played for Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks, which would later become the Atlanta Hawks. His number is retired with that franchise now.
The LA Lakers to retire Spanish center Pau Gasol’s number
The latest team to retire a number are the LA Lakers. The Californian franchise has announced that the team plans to retire the legendary center’s number this Tuesday. Gasol was instrumental in the franchise winning two rings in the Kobe Bryant era.
How many numbers have the Lakers retired in their franchise?
With Pau Gasol having his number retired, sixteen Lakers have had their numbers taken from the rotation, so to speak.
- Kobe Bryant -8- 1996-2016
- Wilt Chamberlain -13- 1968–1973
- Jim Pollard -17- 1948–1955
- Vern Mikkelsen -19- 1949–1959
- Elgin Baylor -22- 1958–1971
- Slater Martin -22- 1949–1956
- Kobe Bryant -24- 1996-2016
- Gail Goodrich -25- 1965–1968; 1970–1976
- Magic Johnson -32- 1979–1991; 1995–1996
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar -33- 1975–1989
- Shaquille O’Neal -34- 1996-2004
- Clyde Lovellette -34- 1953–1957
- James Worthy -42- 1982–1994
- Jerry West -44- 1960–1974
- Jamaal Wilkes -52- 1977-1985
- George Mikan -99