No. 8 vs. No. 24: Which Kobe Bryant Would You Choose?

On April 26, 2006, whilst in the midst of perhaps his greatest individual season, Kobe Bryant announced his intention to change his number from eight to 24, beginning with the 2006-2007 season.

For such a seemingly small event, this announcement garnered major coverage in the sports media world.  When Bryant initially refused to reveal the reason for the change, numerous theories arose as to why he was making a mid-career switch.  These ranged from theories indicating Kobe was a Jeff Gordon fan, to Kobe wanting to be one number better than Michael Jordan.

Bryant has since revealed the simple reason for the number change: he had worn Nos. 24 and 33 in high school, but both of these numbers were unavailable when he signed with the Lakers.  He arrived at the No...

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