List of NBA retired numbers

Los Angeles Lakers retired jerseys hanging inside the Crypto.com Arena, January 2013

As a way to honor key contributors including players, coaches, fans, broadcasters and announcers, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams often retire their jersey numbers, win totals or microphones. In the case of jersey numbers, they are usually no longer available for future players to wear, although they can ask for permission from players whose jerseys are retired. Teams usually display these numbers by hanging banners on the rafters inside their home arena. As of December 2023, only two teams in the NBA do not have any retired numbers: the Los Angeles Clippers and the Toronto Raptors. Two players have had their numbers retired by teams they did not play for, and only one player (Bill Russell) had his number retired league wide.

List

Key:

 † 

Inducted to the Basketball Hall of Fame

 ‡ 

Number retired league-wide

Honored numbers

Cleveland has introduced in 2019 a Wall of Honor, which honors former players and other personnel.

Phoenix also previously honored numbers from 1999 until 2023 during their Ring of Honor ceremonies.

Chicago has introduced a Ring of Honor in January 2024, with all of the previously retired numbers and banners, plus other significant personnel in Bulls' history, as well as one full team.

The Lakers have also honored their most notable players during the stint of the franchise in Minneapolis. Although their numbers are displayed on the banners, only the No. 22 and No. 34 are officially retired, since they were retired for Elgin Baylor and Shaquille O'Neal respectively.^[52] George Mikan was also promoted from being an honored number for his time with the Minneapolis Lakers to being retired by the Los Angeles Lakers properly on October 30, 2022.

One player, multiple teams

A handful of players who had notable careers for multiple teams have had their numbers retired by each team. Bill Russell (whose number was retired league-wide), Michael Jordan, and Pete Maravich had their numbers retired by teams they never played for.

• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had his no. 33 retired by both the Bucks and Lakers.
• Wilt Chamberlain had his no. 13 retired by the Warriors, 76ers, and Lakers. To date, he is one of only three players to have his jersey retired by 3 different teams, alongside Pete Maravich and Shaquille O'Neal.
• Charles Barkley had his no. 34 retired by both the 76ers and Suns.
• Clyde Drexler had his no. 22 retired by both the Trail Blazers and Rockets.
• Julius Erving had his no. 32 retired by the Nets, and his no. 6 retired by the 76ers.
• Elvin Hayes had his no. 11 retired by the Wizards, and his no. 44 by the Rockets.
• Michael Jordan had his no. 23 retired by both the Bulls and Heat. Jordan is one of three players to have his jersey retired by a team he never played for.
• Bob Lanier had his no. 16 retired by both the Pistons and Bucks.
• Pete Maravich had his no. 44 retired by the Hawks, while his no. 7 is retired by both the Jazz and Pelicans. Maravich is one of three players to have his jersey retired by three different teams, alongside Wilt Chamberlain and Shaquille O'Neal.
• Moses Malone has his no. 24 retired by the Rockets, while his no. 2 is retired by the 76ers.
• Earl Monroe had his no. 15 retired by the Knicks, and his no. 10 by the Wizards.
• Dikembe Mutombo had his no. 55 retired by both the Nuggets and Hawks.
• Shaquille O'Neal had his no. 34 retired by the Lakers, and his no. 32 by both the Heat and the Magic. O'Neal is one of three players to have his jersey retired by three different teams, alongside Wilt Chamberlain and Pete Maravich.
• Dennis Rodman had his no. 10 retired by the Pistons, and his no. 91 appears in the Bulls' Ring of Honor .
• Oscar Robertson had his no. 14 retired by the Kings, and his no. 1 by the Bucks.
• On August 11, 2022, 12 days after his death, Bill Russell had his no. 6 retired league-wide, the first and thus far only NBA player to receive the honor.^[53] Russell had previously had his number retired by the Celtics on March 12, 1972.
• Jerry Sloan had his no. 4 retired by the Bulls, and no. 1,223 by the Jazz, signifying his total victories as their coach.
• Nate Thurmond had his no. 42 retired by both the Warriors and Cavaliers.
• Lenny Wilkens had his no. 19 retired by the Sonics, and his name appears in the Cavaliers' Wall of Honor.

One team, multiple players

The following numbers have been retired by a single team in honor of multiple players:

• New York Knicks' no. 15 retired for Earl Monroe in 1986 and Dick McGuire in 1992.
• Portland Trail Blazers' no. 30 retired for Bob Gross and Terry Porter in 2008.

One player, one team, multiple numbers

The following numbers have been retired by a single team in honor of one player:

• Los Angeles Lakers' nos. 8 and 24 retired for Kobe Bryant in 2017.

See also

• 50 Greatest Players in NBA History
• List of NCAA men's basketball retired numbers

Notes

1. Loscutoff asked that his number (No. 18) not be retired to allow future Celtics to wear it. His number is represented by "LOSCY." His number 18 was later retired in honor of Cowens.^[3]
2. Jackson and Krause do not have actual numbers retired in their honor.
3. Dawson does not have an actual number retired in his honor; rather, a banner with his initials is hanging from the rafters to pay tribute to his 27 years of service to the team.^[19]
4. Although No. 33 is retired, Grant Hill received permission from Adams to wear it during his time with the Suns.
5. As a result of the Seattle SuperSonics relocation to Oklahoma City in 2008, the SuperSonics' history (including retired numbers) is shared with the Oklahoma City Thunder, although the team colors, uniforms and logos remain available for use by a future NBA team in Seattle.
6. Numbers hang to the rafters as honored Minneapolis Lakers. These five Hall-of-Famers were instrumental to the franchise's success during its days in Minneapolis. Except for 22, which was retired for Baylor, and 34, which was retired for O'Neal, these "honored numbers" are still available.

References

General

• "Team-by-team retired jersey numbers". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. September 25, 2011. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved October 27, 2012.

Specific

1. "2008–09 Hawks Media Guide, p.194" (PDF). NBA.com/Hawks. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 5, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
2. "Hawks Raise Banner To Honor Ted Turner". NBA.com/Hawks. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. November 30, 2004. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
3. "Retired Numbers". NBA.com/Celtics. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
4. "Bill Russell's No. 6 to be retired across NBA following legend's death last month". ESPN.com. August 11, 2022.
5. Freeman, Mike (June 8, 1993). "Basketball; Nets' Petrovic Dies in Auto Accident in Germany". The New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
6. "Retired Numbers". NBA.com/Nets. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on August 26, 2010. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
7. "2008–09 Bulls Media Guide, p.325" (PDF). NBA.com/Bulls. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 5, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
8. "2008–09 Bulls Media Guide, p.326" (PDF). NBA.com/Bulls. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 5, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
9. "2008–09 Bulls Media Guide, p.327" (PDF). NBA.com/Bulls. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 5, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2009.
10. "History". NBA.com/Cavaliers. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved March 24, 2009.
11. "History". NBA.com/Mavericks. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on December 3, 2010. Retrieved March 24, 2009.
12. "Denver Nuggets". CBS Sports. CBS Interactive. May 14, 2010. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
13. "Nuggets to Retire Dikembe Mutombo's #55 Jersey". NBA.com. September 26, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
14. "Detroit Pistons". CBS Sports. CBS Interactive. May 14, 2010. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
15. "Pistons to retire Dennis Rodman jersey". ESPN.com. February 11, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
16. "Golden State Warriors". CBS Sports. CBS Interactive. May 15, 2010. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
17. "Houston Rockets". CBS Sports. CBS Interactive. May 15, 2010. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
18. "Rockets to Retire No. 44 in Honor of Elvin Hayes". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
19. "2009–10 Rockets Media Guide, p.146" (PDF). NBA.com/Rockets. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 8, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
20. Pincus, Eric (April 2, 2013). "Lakers retire Shaquille O'Neal's jersey". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
21. "Lakers retire George Mikan's No. 99 jersey in pregame ceremony". NBA.com. October 30, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
22. "HEAT To Retire Chris Bosh's No. 1 Jersey". NBA.com. February 4, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
23. Chiang, Anthony (February 22, 2020). "Heat retires Dwyane Wade's jersey in emotional halftime ceremony. Wade: 'I'm just thankful'". Miami Herald. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
24. "Hardaway's Heat jersey retired". ESPN. October 29, 2009. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
25. "Dan Marino's jersey is retired by the Miami Heat". Fansided. March 16, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
26. "NBA says it likely won't retire Jordan's No. 23". MSNBC.com. NBC Universal. November 14, 2009. Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
27. "Miami Franchise retires Michael Jordan's No. 23". The Tuscaloosa News. April 10, 2003. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
28. "Miami Heat to retire Shaquille O'Neal's No. 32 jersey". February 9, 2016.
29. "Heat retire Mourning's No. 33". ESPN. March 31, 2009. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
30. "Udonis Haslem Joins Heat Front Office" (Press release). Miami Heat. November 7, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
31. Reynolds, Tim (January 19, 2024). "Heat retire Udonis Haslem's No. 40 jersey. He's the 6th Miami player to receive the honor". Associated Press News. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
32. "Retired Numbers: Oscar Robertson". NBA.com/Bucks. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
33. "Retired Numbers: Junior Bridgeman". NBA.com/Bucks. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
34. "Retired Numbers: Sidney Moncrief". NBA.com/Bucks. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
35. Velazquez, Matt (January 19, 2019). "At long last, Milwaukee Bucks will retire Marques Johnson's No. 8 on March 24". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
36. "Retired Numbers: Jon McGlocklin". NBA.com/Bucks. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
37. "Retired Numbers: Bob Lanier". NBA.com/Bucks. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on April 28, 2009. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
38. "Retired Numbers: Brian Winters". NBA.com/Bucks. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
39. "Retired Numbers: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar". NBA.com/Bucks. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
40. Robbins, Liz (May 21, 2000). "Pro Basketball; Wolves' Sealy, Former Star for St. John's, Dies in Car Crash". The New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
41. Miller, Randy (January 11, 2016). "Sixers to retire Dolph Schayes' No. 4, but Nerlens Noel can wear it". NJ Advance Media.
42. Shapiro, Michael. "Joel Embiid Honors Kobe Bryant, Wears No. 24 as 76ers Host Warriors". Sports Illustrated. ABG-SI LLC. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
43. Cotton, Anthony (November 17, 1991). "32 NO MERE NUMBER TO CONTROVERSIAL BARKLEY". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
44. "PHOENIX SUNS TO INDUCT SHAWN MARION AND AMAR'E STOUDEMIRE INTO RING OF HONOR". Phoenix Suns. August 9, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
45. "Bruce Bowen allows LaMarcus Aldridge to wear retired No. 12 jersey with San Antonio Spurs". July 9, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
46. "Manu Ginobili Jersey Retirement Night". NBA.com. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
47. Adam (August 24, 2010). "The Next Retired Jersey". Utah Jazz 360. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
48. "Adrian Dantley's Jersey Retired". KSL.com. April 11, 2007. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
49. "Utah Jazz honor late owner Larry H. Miller". KSL.com. August 14, 2010. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
50. "No. 12 to reach Utah rafters Nov. 22". ESPN/Associated Press. September 21, 2004. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
51. "Jazz Retired Malone's No. 32". ksl.com. March 23, 2006. Retrieved August 28, 2012.
52. "Lakers retired numbers"
53. "Bill Russell's No. 6 jersey to be retired throughout NBA". NBA.com. August 11, 2022. Retrieved March 14, 2024.