The jersey is a statement, the number is a statement – no other sport has this deep-rooted culture and sentiment, but during times of grievance these somewhat simple things can become wildly convoluted. I talked to Mark Murray, owner of ‘The Throwback Store’ the UK’s largest online shop of vintage NBA jerseys, to get a better perspective on this.
The jersey is a statement, the number is a statement…
A game of two numbers
Bryant is the only player in NBA history to have his two jersey numbers retired through the same team; his first number 8 and his second number 24. This means no other player may wear those two numbers ever again in Lakers history. Mark told me: ‘For a superstar to change his number is risky, Kobe 8 was his brand and he just completely flipped it, It redefined him, it was a rebirth when he changed to 24.’
Bryant’s retired high school jersey
Kobe chose 8 for two reasons. Firstly, it was the number he wore whilst growing up in Italy. Bryant learned basketball in Italy because his father Joe moved there to finish his own basketball career. Secondly, his youth training camp jersey was numbered 143 which, conveniently, and at a stretch (1 + 4 + 3), adds up to 8.
Mark has had hundreds of jerseys pass through his hands. He reflects on his first jersey purchase, ‘The number 8 was the first jersey I ever got,’ he says, ‘mainly because it was the only one you could buy in the UK. JJB were the only stockist of Jerseys and it was literally the only jersey they had, I didn’t even support the Lakers but I still had to have the Jersey.’
Bryant learned basketball in Italy because his father Joe Bryant, moved there to finish his own basketball career.
After three NBA championship wins with number 8, Kobe unusually changed to 24, in a past interview with ESPN Kobe remarked upon this by explaining that: ’24 is a growth. Physical attributes aren’t there the way they used to be, but the maturity level is greater. Marriage, kids. I start having a broader perspective being one of the older guys on the team now, as opposed to being the youngest.’
Kobe went through a numerical and deeply personal change, he risked tampering with his legacy but in true Mamba style the 24 became just as synonymous as the 8 with Bryant’s sheer dominance and brilliance in the NBA.
Tribute through number
As hundreds of thousands of tributes rolled in, there were some beautiful moments across the sporting world that proved Kobe was more than just basketball. During the Australian open Aussie tennis player Nick Kyrigous strolled out onto the court sporting the infamous bright yellow Kobe 8 jersey whilst facing Rafael Nadal. Mark tells me: ‘Moments like this prove there are very few people who can have this effect on the world’.
This was not the only tribute outside of basketball, remarkably during the Phoenix golfing open Tony Finau, Justin Thomas and Max Homa all wore their favourite Kobe jersey during the open. An exceptionally special moment during the open was a 16th hole putt for a birdie by Finau, that was celebrated in true Mamba style as he mimicked Kobe’s famed shot celebration.
Most interestingly the golfers all chose different Kobe numbers, Mark explains this phenomenon: ‘The younger generation remembered Kobe as the number 24 whereas the older more number 8 during the days of Kobe and Shaq. The number lies differently across the generations. Few players have ever successfully spanned across two generations.’
The recent NBA all-star weekend became more of a time for reflection than all American entertainment, the jersey numbers were switched to ‘24’ on one team and to ‘2’ on the other to commemorate Kobe’s daughter, Gigi’s number. If that wasn’t enough the format was altered to pay further respect, the team leading after three quarters will have to score 24 points to win the game.
Honouring the Jersey
Mark’s shop stocks some of the rarest and most sought after jerseys around, including many Bryant ones of course. ‘I immediately stopped the sales on any of his merchandise on my site after hearing the news out of respect for Kobe. I just knew what was coming; I could see it a mile away. People starting reselling jerseys that we originally worth about £40 and put them up for £200. I actually went on a mission, almost like a vigilante to approach these people who were trying to profit from his death. It didn’t feel right in the aftermath of what happened’.
Both the NBA and Nike store immediately sold out of all Kobe merchandise, people were trying to do anything to get their hands on a jersey to physically pay respect to the legend. Mark continued to tell me that he had received hundreds of emails in just a few days; he had never dealt with anything like this before.
As the world is still trying to get to grips with the heartbreaking loss of an icon, the Mamba mentality still lives on, in and outside of the NBA. And as time goes on we really start to understand how important number was for the brand and the player. His memorial that took place on the 24th was a touching reminder of the man he was and became, the world will now go on to remember the devastating dunks, championship titles and his numbers ‘8’ and ‘24’.
Long live Black Mamba.
