Five-time NBA champion and future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant will have both his No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys retired by the Los Angeles Lakers, per ESPN‘s Ramona Shelburne.
Update. BOTH of Kobe's numbers will be retired.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) September 12, 2017
The jersey retirement ceremony is expected to take place on December 18th, 2017 at a Lakers’ home game against reigning 2017 NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors.
Kobe Bryant played in a total of 707 NBA games while wearing the No. 8 on his jersey, spanning nearly 10 seasons in that uniform. He won his first three NBA titles with Hall of Fame teammate Shaquille O’Neal via a three-peat in the No. 8 uniform, where he was a critical part of a potent Lakers dynasty.
Bryant announced during the 2005-06 NBA offseason that he would switch to the jersey No. 24, and debuted that same jersey the next season. Bryant would go on to win two more NBA titles whilst wearing the No. 24, winning back-to-back Finals MVP’s. After a prolonged debate of which Kobe jersey the Lakers wanted to retire, both iconic numbers were chosen to honor the Lakers legend.
The Lakers’ legend is widely recognized as one of the NBA’s all-time greats, where he spent his entire 20-year NBA career in a purple and gold uniform. He has won a total of five titles, and appeared in 18 total All-Star games which sits second all-time to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 19.
