From the Charlotte Hornets retiring Dell Curry’s #30 this month to the University of Colorado locking away Shedeur Sanders’ #2 and Travis Hunter’s #12 after just two seasons, we are no longer honoring legends; we are hoarding inventory. It is time to clear the rafters and put the history back on the field.

The Death of the “Classic” Aesthetic

The most visible casualty of this trend is the visual language of the game itself. For decades, the 1–35 range was the gold standard for basketball and football stars. Today, it is a “dead zone.”

In Boston, the Celtics have retired so many low numbers that veteran Dennis Schröder was famously forced to wear #71—a number that looks more like a glitch in a video game than a point guard’s jersey. When the New York Yankees ran out of single digits, they didn’t stop to reconsider the sustainability of the practice; they simply moved to the higher, “uglier” numbers, eventually forcing modern stars into the high 90s.

By retiring numbers, franchises aren’t preserving history; they are ensuring that the stars of tomorrow look like training camp invitees.

The “Mercenary” Problem

The standard for retirement has also been dangerously diluted. Vince Carter recently saw his No. 15 retired by two different franchises, despite never winning a championship. Shaquille O’Neal has his jersey hanging in three different cities.

When a “mercenary” superstar can lock up prime real estate in multiple markets for a five-year stint, the system is broken.

We are currently facing a future where players like Kevin Durant or LeBron James could leave a trail of “dead numbers” across 15% of the league. If the goal is to honor the player, why must we punish the future roster?

The “Living Legacy” Solution

The answer isn’t to stop honoring legends—it’s to change how we do it. The Dallas Cowboys and Michigan Wolverines have already provided the blueprint.

Instead of retiring a number, they treat it as a Legacy Number. In Dallas, #88 isn’t a dusty banner; it’s a crown. It has been passed from Drew Pearson to Michael Irvin to CeeDee Lamb. Every time a new star puts it on, the broadcasters talk about the legends who wore it before.

When Warren Moon unretired his No. 1 for Cam Ward in Tennessee last year, he proved that a legend’s legacy is more secure when it’s being defended on the field than when it’s hanging in the ceiling.

A Plan for 2026:

* Unretire the 1–35 Range: Every team should be required to keep at least 30 “prime” numbers in circulation.

* The “Ring of Honor” Pivot: Move names to the rafters, but keep the numbers on the backs of the players.

* Legacy Patches: If a player wears a historic number, include a small, elegant patch on the jersey to honor the original legend.

We need to stop treating jersey numbers like headstones. Sports history should be a torch passed from one generation to the next, not a graveyard of fabric. It’s time to unretire the past and give the future some room to breathe.

Lebron James vs Kobe Bryant Career Numbers:

Lebron 4 MVP’s 3 FMVP’s
Kobe 1MVP 2 FMVPs

Championships (Team Achievements)
Lebron 3
Kobe 5

Regular season
Lebron 27.3 ppg 7.1 rpg 6.9 ast 49% FG
Kobe 25.0 ppg 5.2 rpg 4.7 ast 44% FG

Playoffs
Lebron 28.0 ppg 8.5 rpg 6.5 apg 47% FG
Kobe 25.6 ppg 5.1 rpg 4.7 apg 44% FG

Finals
Lebron 26.7 ppg 9.6 rpg 7.1 apg 45% FG
Kobe 25.1 ppg 5.6 rpg 5.1 apg 41% FG

Game 7’s (highest pressure games)
Lebron 32.3 ppg 9.3 rpg 4.8 apg 45.1 FG
Kobe 22.2 ppg 8.0 rpg 5.0 apg 38.9 FG

Elimination games (never give up mentality)
Lebron 31.1 ppg 11.0 rpg 7.9 apg 46.3 FG
Kobe 22.3 ppg 5.6 rpg 3.7 apgFG

PER
Lebron ranked # 2 All Time
Kobe ranked # 22 All Time
WS
Lebron ranked # 11 All Time
Kobe ranked # 15 All time

WS per 48 Min
Lebron ranked # 6 All time
Kobe ranked # 54 All time

BPM
Lebron ranked # 1 All Time
Kobe ranked # 33 All Time

To save time,
Lebron has Kobe beat in – PPG, RPG, APG,SPG, BPG, TS%, eFG%, ORB%,DRB%, ORtg, DRtg, OWS, DWS, OBPM, DBPM, VORP.

CLUTCH / PLAYOFFS:

LeBron: 8-19 on go-ahead or tying shots in final 24 seconds
Kobe: 7-28 on go-ahead or tying shots in final 24 seconds

Current Playoff Records Held (only player in history too..)
Lebron 18
Kobe 2

Current Finals Records Held (only player in history too..)
Lebron 18
Kobe 1

Triple Doubles Reg Season
Lebron 37
Kobe 19

Triple Doubles Playoffs
Lebron 14
Kobe 0

Finals Triple Doubles
Lebron 6
Kobe 0

“End of discussion”

Many of my thoughts from then are still relevant now. Kobe’s presence in the game will be forever missed. I don’t have any other words so my words from 2015 will have to suffice.

I don’t have to run down his career accomplishments or make this article extra long. Between the year 2000 and 2008 the NBA belonged to Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan. If you weren’t on a team with one of the two you didn’t win chips. Its just how it went.

The year was 2008.

I was now in college, struggling to watch the Lakers and Celtics fight through a grueling six game series on my laptop via a stream from the FirstRow. It wasn’t to be as the Celtics’ Big Three got it done and Kevin Garnett finally won the title that eluded him. Yes, anything was possible but it didn’t feel right. The Lakers were out-powered, out-manned, just out-toughed by the Garnett anchored team. In uncharacteristic fashion Kobe Bryant’s Lakers team lost game six by 39 points 131-92.

The Lakers would comeback to win the 2009 title over an Orlando team that just didn’t have the talent to match with Los Angeles. 2010 would be the true test with a Celtics rematch. One of the big differences was that this version of the Lakers now featured the scrappy Ron Artest who was a kindred spirit to Kobe’s mentality.

In the final minutes of the closing game seven, Kobe willed himself over the Celtics.

Heading into the final minute of the game, good ol’ Ron Artest caught a well placed pass from Kobe and drilled a clutch three pointer.

The Lakers lead extended to six. Boston never recovered. Its arguable they never recovered as a franchise as well.

Kobe had done it. He won number five, the championship that broke the tie with former teammate Shaquille O’neal and put Kobe on hollowed ground behind His Airness.

Kobe celebrated by jumping on the announcer table and flailing his arms eerily similar to Michael Jordan. It was as if he knew championship six would come. If there was a time to tell the world that he was his generation’s Mike, this was it and he had no problem doing it.

Kobe established himself as the ultra alpha dog during his time in the league. Even after legal issues, losing his squeaky clean public image, and feuding with Shaq, Kobe showed a dominance that only was matched by His Airness himself. Kobe would take five titles between 2000 and 2009 in between down years in which Bryant dragged a team featuring Kwame Brown and Smush Parker to the playoffs. He even scored 81 points in a game. Whassup, Jalen!

With Kobe’s exit the NBA has closed an era. The legendary 1996 draft class is gone. The game is now in the hands of Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, and to a smaller degree the now 31 year old Lebron James.

So many tried to fill Jordan’s shoes and only one man came close while also carving his own lane. We may never see another Kobe and that isn’t a bad thing. Legends are to be celebrated not recreated. Kobe isn’t Michael Jordan and Michael Jordan wasn’t Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant was the first Kobe Bryant and we were truly privileged to witness it.

Hat’s off to a healthy retirement Black Mamba.

 

#MambaOut

RIP to a Great, his daughter, and the other passengers as well.

If you need to get your mind off of things, check out this Lakers tribute video below.

More thoughts coming soon.

Kobe on returning in 2019:

Kobe says he wouldn’t make an NBA comeback even if he was 100-percent guaranteed to win another title.

"No. I like my rings the hard way."

(via @Candace_Parker and @KristenLedlow) pic.twitter.com/XCW1rXYuJ7

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 30, 2019

Unfortunately the Lakers did not get Davis but the talks aren’t over. Anthony Davis still wants to get traded and the Lakeshow is still interested.

The Lakers also just got a big endorsement from Laker legend Kobe Bean Bryant:

On an interview with AS, a Spanish daily sports newspaper, Kobe gave his thoughts on many different topics. Pau Gasol in Milwaukee, training his daughters, and most interestingly, he had this bit to say about the Anthony Davis situation:

“Do you think the Anthony Davis situation mislead the franchise and the players?”

Kobe: “I say no. Kuzma, Lonzo, Ingram… are the three of them better than Anthony Davis? No! Ciao! Bye! Anthony Davis is one of the best players in the world. Not currently, in history. What are we talking about? If you can trade for Anthony Davis, you do it. If not, alright. We have three players who are very young and work hard. They’re smart and they have to develop. But if you can trade for Anthony Davis… yes!”

The interview was done in Spanish at a Four Seasons hotel in Shenzhen, China. If you’d like to read the whole interview, here’s the link: Kobe Bryant: “No reconocía al Pau Gasol de San Antonio”

My family was crowded around the television watching the NBA finals and they were at it again. Michael and Scottie were wrapping up another NBA Championship over the Utah Jazz. Unknown to a much younger version of YA BOY, he was witnessing the pinnacle of 90’s basketball greatness.

Mike would win yet another MVP. Scottie would get yelled at through the TV for each and every bad Bulls play. Dennis Rodman would try to fight Karl Malone. Life was good. It felt like this would never happen again.

Michael would retire on top of the game and leave the basketball world in the hands young talents such as Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Stephon Marbury, Steve Nash, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson…. and this guy from Philly named Kobe Bryant.

Michael would attempt a comeback between 2001 and 2003 but it wasn’t to be. The game was Iverson’s. The game was Vince’s. The game was Kobe’s.

I don’t have to run down his career accomplishments or make this article extra long. Between the year 2000 and 2008 the NBA belonged to Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan. If you weren’t on a team with one of the two you didn’t win chips. Its just how it went.

The year was 2008.

I was now in college, struggling to watch the Lakers and Celtics fight through a grueling six game series on my laptop via a stream from the FirstRow. It wasn’t to be as the Celtics’ Big Three got it done and Kevin Garnett finally won the title that eluded him. Yes, anything was possible but it didn’t feel right. The Lakers were out-powered, out-manned, just out-toughed by the Garnett anchored team. In uncharacteristic fashion Kobe Bryant’s Lakers team lost game six by 39 points 131-92.

The Lakers would comeback to win the 2009 title over an Orlando team that just didn’t have the talent to match with Los Angeles. 2010 would be the true test with a Celtics rematch. One of the big differences was that this version of the Lakers now featured the scrappy Ron Artest who was a kindred spirit to Kobe’s mentality.

In the final minutes of the closing game seven, Kobe willed himself over the Celtics.

Heading into the final minute of the game, good ol’ Ron Artest caught a well placed pass from Kobe and drilled a clutch three pointer.

The Lakers lead extended to six. Boston never recovered. Its arguable they never recovered as a franchise as well.

Kobe had done it. He won number five, the championship that broke the tie with former teammate Shaquille O’neal and put Kobe on hollowed ground behind His Airness.

Kobe celebrated by jumping on the announcer table and flailing his arms eerily similar to Michael Jordan. It was as if he knew championship six would come. If there was a time to tell the world that he was his generation’s Mike, this was it and he had no problem doing it.

Kobe established himself as the ultra alpha dog during his time in the league. Even after legal issues, losing his squeaky clean public image, and feuding with Shaq, Kobe showed a dominance that only was matched by His Airness himself. Kobe would take five titles between 2000 and 2009 in between down years in which Bryant dragged a team featuring Kwame Brown and Smush Parker to the playoffs. He even scored 81 points in a game. Whassup, Jalen!

With Kobe’s exit the NBA has closed an era. The legendary 1996 draft class is gone. The game is now in the hands of Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry, and to a smaller degree the now 31 year old Lebron James.

So many tried to fill Jordan’s shoes and only one man came close while also carving his own lane. We may never see another Kobe and that isn’t a bad thing. Legends are to be celebrated not recreated. Kobe isn’t Michael Jordan and Michael Jordan wasn’t Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant was the first Kobe Bryant and we were truly privileged to witness it.

Hat’s off to a healthy retirement Black Mamba.

And how do I know this? Last off-season in which Carmelo Anthony, Lebron James, and Chris Bosh were all available, the Lakers didn’t even crack their top three lists. Chicago, Miami, and Houston were the top teams most commonly mentioned on those superstar’s wishlists.

And who were the players the Lakers managed to get? Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer, who both arrived via trade and not their free will.

Just in-case you need any more proof there is Bucks SF Jared Dudley on the whole fiasco:

“Most guys don’t want to play with Kobe. He gets in this thing where he doesn’t pass and then overpasses and then trying to get triple doubles every night, so we know you have it…

“That’s why I think it will be a while for the Lakers to get good because they’ve got no stars. I would be surprised if (Kevin) Love goes there.”

Source: SLAM

2015-2016 will be K.O.B.E’s last with the Lakers. We’ll see if he continues his career elsewhere. I wonder if anyone *cough* Cleveland *cough* New York *cough* Miami *cough* will recruit him.

On the This is Ruck and Dwash Show I chopped it up with my co-host Will Ruck about what this record means in the grand scheme. Is Kobe Bryant better than Michael Jordan? Can they even be compared?

Check out the video below to see what I had to say about it:

Late in the game Kobe and Dwight got in a little scuffle on a rebound. The scuffle resulted in Dwight chin checking Kobe with not one but two elbows, and the Mamba taking it like a champ and calling Dwight “soft” as only Kobe would.

Video of Kobe calling Dwight Howard soft below: