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NBA Starting 5, Oct. 23: Every jersey tells a story. Know these?

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NBA.com Staff

October 23, 2023 5:49 PM

Are you wearing your favorite NBA jersey?

✅Yes: You’re ready for NBA Jersey Day, keep scrolling

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THE LINEUP

Celebrating NBA Jersey Day 🎉
Most Popular Jersey Number #️⃣
Roster Deadline Today ⏳
Every Jersey Tells a Story 📖
Top 5 Pics Of Final 5 Days 📸

CELEBRATE #NBAJERSEYDAY 🎉🤳📱

Just a few of the NBA jerseys to choose from today | NBAE

Do you remember your first ever NBA jersey?

These NBA veterans and rookies do. Watch them go down memory lane and share their first jerseys as kids
Tyler Herro remembers wearing his Allen Iverson jersey to school every day in second grade
LaMelo Ball wears No. 1 today and his 1st jersey was a No. 1 Derrick Rose Bulls jersey
When your dad plays in the NBA like Al Horford, you wear his jersey right? Wrong, it was a Grant Hill Pistons jersey for Big Al
North Carolina native PJ Tucker repped the home team as he rocked the Larry Johnson ‘Grandmama’ Hornets jersey as a kid

One of our favorite stories from Jersey Day 2022 — Brad Parker’s unbelievable, 300-jersey-strong, collection. Tap to read it here. | Courtesy Parker

What’s your answer?

With the 2023-24 season just a day away (!!!), fans all over the world will celebrate the game by wearing their favorite jersey today as part of the 4th annual NBA Jersey Day.

Join in with these steps:

Share a photo of yourself, your friends or your family in a WNBA, NBA or G League jersey of any era on social with hashtag #NBAJerseyDay
Tag your favorite teams & players for a chance to be featured on league and team social or the NBA App

A new team for Damian Lillard, the same Letter O on his jersey | John Fisher/Getty Images

MOST POPULAR JERSEY NUMBERS SINCE 2000 #️⃣

Which player is wearing the most popular NBA number of the 2000s? | NBAE via Getty Images

When it comes to jersey numbers, every player has a story behind their choice. For some, they chose the number of their favorite player as a kid and kept it throughout their career. For others, it’s simply the number they were given when they joined their first team.

Zach LaVine (8): The Chicago guard was inspired by Kobe Bryant, and didn’t want to ask a certain Timberwolves teammate to switch numbers as a rookie
Julius Randle (30): The New York forward had to talk with his mom before choosing his number
De’Aaron Fox (5) and Malik Monk (0): The college and NBA teammates switched numbers from their days at Kentucky to the Kings
Klay Thompson (11): The Golden State guard has too many connections to his number to list here
Jaylen Brown (7): The Boston guard had his NBA jersey number picked as a 12-year-old writing his career goals

3 honoring 3: When Dwyane Wade asked Allen Iverson to present him at the Hall of Fame, AI not only said yes, he arrived in a jacket customized to match the back of D-Wade’s Heat jersey. | NBAE via Getty Images

So which number has been the most popular since 2000?

A deep dive into roster history revealed that No. 3 is the most popular number in the NBA since 2000, appearing in over 27,000 games – and on Hall of Famers Allen Iverson, Dwyane Wade, Ben Wallace and Tracy McGrady in that period.

Here’s the top five:

What are the Top 5 jerseys by games played since 2000?

3️⃣: 27,243
5️⃣: 26,652
1️⃣: 23,537
8️⃣: 21,888
7️⃣: 20,936

The No. 3 not only leads the way in games played, but also tops the leaderboard in nearly all categories … but was edged out by No. 21 in blocks. (Helped a little by Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Marcus Camby, among others)

No. 5, worn here by De’Aaron Fox, sits just behind No. 3 in leaguewide popularity. | NBAE via Getty Images

The No. 5 was tied with No. 3 for titles (12), and ranked in the top 3 across all categories except 3-pointers made, where it finished 4th.

Points: No. 3 (319,776), No. 1 (259,483), No. 5 (259,460)
Rebounds: No. 3 (109,479), No. 5 (105,852), No. 21 (92,735)
Assists: No. 3 (83,443), No. 1 (63,670), No. 5 (59,615)
Steals: No. 3 (26,349), No. 5 (20,470), No. 1 (19,307)
Blocks: No. 21 (12,105), No. 3 (11,429), No. 5 (11,078)
3-Pointers: No. 3 (25,805), No. 1 (22,623), No. 8 (22,234)
Wins: No. 3 (13,684), No. 5 (13,397), No. 1 (11,432)
Titles: No. 3 (12), No. 5 (12), No. 1 (11)

The No. 3 remains one of the most popular numbers in the league today, worn by 19 players, including 5 All-Stars with a combined 27 selections:

Chris Paul (Warriors): 12× NBA All-Star (2008–2016, 2020–2022)
Anthony Davis (Lakers): 8× NBA All-Star (2014–2021)
Bradley Beal (Suns): 3× NBA All-Star (2018, 2019, 2021)
Andre Drummond (Bulls): 2× NBA All-Star (2016, 2018)
Victor Oladipo (Rockets): 2× NBA All-Star (2018, 2019)

ROSTERS SET TODAY x WHAT’S AHEAD THIS WEEK?

The new-look Celtics and all rosters will be set at 5 p.m. | Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

In addition to the fun and excitement of the new season, this time of year brings tough decisions for all 30 teams as they decide which players will make the cut for the opening night roster.

The deadline is 5 p.m. ET today for all teams to submit their rosters to the league.

The time to get serious has arrived. Every game counts now.

Here is your cheat sheet for everything you need to know for Week 1:

Opening Night is Ring Night in Denver

The 2023-24 season begins in the same place 2022-23 ended – Denver’s Ball Arena, when the Nuggets take on the Lakers (7:30 ET, TNT)
134 days after the Nuggets clinched 1st first NBA title, they’ll raise the banner and hand out their championship rings. Go deep inside last year’s run with a new episode of Bring It Home

Notable Player Debuts with New Teams

Tuesday: 2 Games

Gabe Vincent (LAL): Lakers at Nuggets (7:30 ET, TNT) – Vincent opens his season where his final season in Miami ended in the NBA Finals
Chris Paul (GSW) / Bradley Beal (PHX): Warriors vs. Suns (10 ET, TNT) – A pair of guards wearing No. 3 make their debuts with their new teams

Wednesday

Jrue Holiday & Kristaps Porzingis (BOS): Celtics at Knicks (7 ET, ESPN) – After coming up short in the East Finals, the Celtics have 2 new starters in their lineup
Dillon Brooks & Fred VanVleet (HOU): Rockets at Magic (7 ET, NBA App) – The young Rockets added a pair of veterans in the offseason
Tyus Jones & Jordan Poole (WAS) / Bruce Brown (IND): Wizards at Pacers (7 ET, NBA App): This matchup features 2 players with titles from the past 2 seasons, Poole with the Warriors in 2022 and Brown with the Nuggets in 2023
Max Strus (CLE): Cavaliers at Nets (7:30 ET, NBA App) – After starting for Miaimi in the 2023 Finals, Strus suits up for the Cavaliers
Marcus Smart (MEM): Grizzlies vs. Pelicans (8 ET, NBA App) – The 2022 Defensive Player of the Year and 3-time Hustle Award winner makes his Grind City debut
John Collins (UTA): Jazz vs. Kings (9 ET, NBA App) – It’s the debut Jazz game for the Utah-born Collins after spending his 1st 6 seasons in Atlanta
Deandre Ayton & Robert Williams III (POR): Trail Blazers at Clippers (10:30 ET, NBA App) – It’s a new era of hoops in Portland, and these 2 acquisitions will anchor the frontline

Thursday

Damian Lillard (MIL): Bucks vs. 76ers (7:30 ET, TNT) – After 11 seasons in Portland, Dame Time officially moves to the Central Time Zone for Lillard’s Bucks debut

The Official Beginning for the Rookie Class

Wednesday marks the season openers for 24 teams as well as a new generation of NBA talent with each of the top 5 picks in the 2023 NBA Draft (plus a top 5 pick from 2022) set to make their NBA debuts.

Here’s one thing about each of 2023’s top five picks (plus Chet from 2022) you need to know heading into their debuts on Wednesday:

No. 1 Victor Wembanyama (SAS): Spurs vs. Mavericks (9:30 ET ESPN) – His 4 preseason games showcased the French phenom’s wide array of skills. He could lead the league in “he did what?” plays this season
No. 2 Brandon Miller (CHA): Hornets vs. Hawks (7 ET, NBA App) – The Hornets forward averaged 8.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists in 4 preseason games
No. 3 Scoot Henderson (POR): Trail Blazers at Clippers (10:30 ET, NBA App) – After playing 2 seasons with G League Ignite, Henderson is set to become the new face of the Blazers
No. 4 Amen Thompson (HOU): Rockets at Magic (7 ET, NBA App) – Showed a knack for spectacular plays during the preseason for the young Rockets
No. 5 Ausar Thompson (DET): Pistons at Heat (7:30 ET, NBA App) – Nearly averaged a double-double (11.8 points, 9.3 rebounds) in 4 preseason games
No. 2 (2022) Chet Holmgren (OKC): Thunder at Bulls, (8 ET, NBA App) – After missing all of the 2022-23 season with a foot injury, Holmgren reminded everyone why he went No. 2 overall in 2022

EVERY JERSEY HAS A STORY

Every NBA jersey has a story and some of those stories turn laundry into highly coveted collectibles. Entrepreneur Buster Scher, an avid collector of many things, takes us inside the world of game-worn jerseys on #NBAJerseyDay.

Scher: I grew up admiring the iconic red Bulls jersey worn by Michael Jordan and the gold Lakers Kobe Bryant jersey.

These jerseys held significance far beyond the court, symbolizing what these legends stood for as players and their cultural impact and it is my dream to own one of them one day.

With photo-matching technology we can say with 100% certainty that these jerseys were not only worn in any game, but in specific moments that turned them from pieces of memorable cloth to museum quality assets that are crucial to history.

The future is bright for jersey collecting. They are becoming life-changing for collectors and it solidifies jerseys as a museum-quality collectible.

The best of the best become like fine art in museums. It’s inevitable in my opinion. The best 0001% of jerseys are like your great Picassos or Da Vinci’s. The moment is almost overwhelming when you’re with these pieces of history frozen in time.

Growing up, one of the first memorable jerseys I received was a Knicks Carmelo Anthony jersey. I was overjoyed when he was traded to New York, making the jersey a special memento from my childhood.

It’s heartwarming to see the NBA celebrate #NBAJerseyDay, recognizing that jerseys are one of the cornerstones of what makes the league so instantly recognizable on a global scale.

No matter where you go in the world, you’ll spot people proudly wearing an NBA jersey, a testament to the league’s reach.

5. 5 PHOTOS FROM THE LAST 5 DAYS