Kobe Bryant's Symbolic Meaning Behind Changing His Jersey Number From 8 To 24

May 2024 ยท 2 minute read

When Kobe Bryant entered the NBA in 1996 as a fresh-faced 18-year-old, he had no intentions of ever changing his jersey number. And while it took him a few seasons, he ultimately made No. 8 iconic in Los Angeles, emerging as one-half of the late '90s/early 2000s Lakers' championship-winning superstar duo alongside Shaquille O'Neal. But when O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in the summer of 2004, Bryant realized he needed to start fresh just as the Lakers were doing, and that meant getting a new number. 

It was only in the 2006-07 NBA season when Bryant started wearing No. 24; had he submitted his request before the previous season's deadline, he would have gone from No. 8 to 24 a year sooner. In a December 2017 interview with ESPN, he explained why he had made this decision. "It's kind of a clean slate," Bryant told the outlet's Baxter Holmes. "I started new. Just start completely fresh, focus on the number that meant a lot to me."

Bryant added that while No. 8 represented who he was when he was trying to establish himself in the NBA, No. 24 stood for his growth as a player and as a person. "Physical attributes aren't there the way they used to be, but the maturity level is greater," he said. "Marriage, kids. Start having a broader perspective being one of the older guys on the team now, as opposed to being the youngest. Things evolve. It's not to say one is better than the other or one's a better way to be. It's just growth."

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