In the 2022-23 NBA season, the most popular jersey number is the #11, worn by 25 players so far this season. Notable players currently wearing the #11 include Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets, switched to #2 after being traded midseason to the Dallas Mavericks), Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks), and DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls). Other popular jersey numbers this season include #5 (24 players), #8 (23 players), and #3 (23 players). While frequency of jersey numbers are a way to determine popularity, another way to determine popularity is by recognition; by that metric, #23 is arguably the most popular jersey number of all time, as it was worn by the 2 greatest NBA players ever in Michael Jordan and LeBron James.
Are there any rules for NBA jersey numbers?
NBA players are generally allowed to pick any jersey number they wish between 0 and 99, but there are a few restrictions. Players are not allowed to wear “retired” numbers – this refers to when a franchise retires a number as a tribute to one of their great players who wore that number. While retired numbers are usually taken out of circulation for good, players can request to wear that number with the permission of the individual who was honored with the jersey number retirement.
Franchises can retire jersey numbers for their own players (ex: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s #33 retired by the Los Angeles Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks), for other legendary players (ex: Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan had his #23 retired by the Miami Heat), or even for other reasons (ex: the Orlando Magic retired the #6 as a tribute to the fans as their “6th man”). Sometimes teams informally retire jersey numbers, by not offering it as part of their circulation even though the number does not hang from the rafters. The NBA can also retire numbers, as they did recently with the #6 league-wide to honor the late Bill Russell (although players who wore #6 can continue to wear it).
Besides that, jersey numbers are mostly good to go. There is only one banned jersey number, which is #69 due to the implication of the number that doesn’t match the league’s family-friendly nature. Teammates cannot share a jersey number, which often results in new teammates trying to negotiate a deal if one can get the other to switch to a different number.
Who are some notable players for each jersey number?
Despite there being many different options for jersey numbers, quite often players gravitate towards the same numbers. As such, there are certain jersey numbers worn by many great players, while other jersey numbers have been worn very rarely by obscure players and sometimes not even touched at all. The below table tries to showcase notable names (or any names really) for each of the jersey numbers.
| Jersey Number | Player Name | Jersey Number | Player Name |
| 0 | Russell Westbrook | 50 | David Robinson |
| 00 | Robert Parrish | 51 | Boban Marjanović |
| 1 | Oscar Robertson Tracy McGrady | 52 | Jamaal Wikes |
| 2 | Moses Malone Kawhi Leonard | 53 | Artis Gilmore Daryl Dawkins |
| 3 | Dwyane Wade Allen Iverson | 54 | Horace Grant |
| 4 | Dolph Schayes | 55 | Dikembe Mutombo |
| 5 | Kevin Garnett | 56 | Francisco Elson |
| 6 | Bill Russell LeBron James | 57 | Mike Muscala |
| 7 | Carmelo Anthony Nate Archibald | 58 | – |
| 8 | Kobe Bryant | 59 | Rayjon Tucker |
| 9 | Bob Pettit | 60 | Jonathan Gibson |
| 10 | Walt Frazier | 61 | Bevo Nordmann |
| 11 | Isaiah Thomas | 62 | Scott Pollard |
| 12 | John Stockton Dwight Howard | 63 | Coty Clarke |
| 13 | Wilt Chamberlain Steve Nash | 64 | – |
| 14 | Bob Cousy | 65 | George Ratkovicz |
| 15 | Vince Carter | 66 | Andrew Bogut |
| 16 | Bob Lanier | 67 | Taj Gibson |
| 17 | John Havlicek | 68 | Milt Schoon |
| 18 | Dave Cowens | 69 | – |
| 19 | Willis Reed | 70 | Frank Selvy |
| 20 | Gary Payton | 71 | Willie Nauls |
| 21 | Tim Duncan Dominique Wilkins | 72 | Jason Kapono |
| 22 | Elgin Baylor Clyde Drexler | 73 | Dennis Rodman |
| 23 | Michael Jordan LeBron James | 74 | – |
| 24 | Kobe Bryant Rick Barry | 75 | – |
| 25 | Mark Price | 76 | Shawn Bradley |
| 26 | Kyle Korver | 77 | Luka Dončić |
| 27 | Jack Twyman | 78 | – |
| 28 | Alperen Şengün | 79 | – |
| 29 | Paul Silas | 80 | – |
| 30 | Steph Curry | 81 | José Calderón |
| 31 | Reggie Miller | 82 | – |
| 32 | Magic Johnson Karl Malone Shaquille O’Neal | 83 | Craig Smith |
| 33 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Larry Bird Scottie Pippen | 84 | Chris Webber |
| 34 | Hakeem Olajuwon Giannis Antetokounmpo Shaquille O’Neal | 85 | Baron Davis |
| 35 | Kevin Durant | 86 | Semih Erden |
| 36 | Rasheed Wallace | 87 | – |
| 37 | Nick Van Exel | 88 | Nicolas Batum |
| 38 | Saben Lee | 89 | Clyde Lovellette |
| 39 | Dwight Howard | 90 | Drew Gooden |
| 40 | Shawn Kemp | 91 | Dennis Rodman |
| 41 | Dirk Nowitzki Wes Unseld | 92 | DeShawn Stevenson |
| 42 | James Worthy | 93 | Metta World Peace |
| 43 | Jack Sikma Pascal Siakam | 94 | Evan Fournier |
| 44 | Jerry West George Gervin | 95 | Juan Toscano-Anderson |
| 45 | Donovan Mitchell | 96 | Metta World Peace |
| 46 | Bo Outlaw | 97 | Eugene Omoruyi |
| 47 | Andrei Kirilenko | 98 | Jason Collins |
| 48 | Nazr Mohammed | 99 | George Mikan |
| 49 | Shandon Anderson |
Despite there being 100 options for jersey numbers, some are definitely more popular than the other. It mostly boils down to what that number means for the player; in many cases, the same numbers are chosen again because that was the jersey number of their favorite player growing up (the #23 is incredibly popular amongst players who grew up watching Michael Jordan). Jersey numbers, despite at its core being a simple measure to differentiate between teammates, have grown to become a valued part of identity by players, fans, and franchises alike.