Honorable mentions: Warren Spahn, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa. Why he's here: The long-time Yankee lefty was by far the best player who wore No. So we apologize to two greats of their respective footballs, John Elway and Cristiano Ronaldo. While we briefly thought about Brett Favre, this really came down to Bobby Orr and Lou Gehrig. Hes not in the Hall of Fame yet, but he will be one day soon (he was just 23 votes shy of being part of the Class of 2016). 74 for his entire six-season career. 8 and 24. Abdul-Jabbar has more points than anybody in NBA history. Thats what happens when you make six Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams. In his 22-year career, the right-hander with a devastating curveball won 289 games, struck out 3,701 (that total is still fifth all-time) and pitched nearly 5,000 innings in the majors (4,970, to be exact). Well Hendricks was both. All rights reserved. In 2015, he was an All-Star and won AL Comeback Player of the Year. Why hes here: Marichal was a stalwart in the San Francisco rotation from the moment he arrived in the big leagues he struck out 12 and threw a one-hit shutout in his debut. Lets not forget the world of auto racing, which brought us Dale Earnhardt. Congratulations, we guess? We have a run on linebackers. To purchase Any Given Number, go to SI.com/anygivennumber. Steph Curry is getting close to being the choice here. Honorable mentions: Rick Reuschel, Sam McDowell. Honorable mentions: Chan Ho Park, Bronson Arroyo. And even though Barry Bonds eventually eclipsed Babe Ruths career home run total, the number 714 still holds a special place in baseball lore. Honorable mentions: Bob Howry, Joba Chamberlain. (Photo Credit: Rocky Widner/Getty Images . A lot of these athletes have worn other numbers as well. However, the last couple of years have been tough for the defenseman. Nobody was close to the "Dominator.". Why hes here: Larkin, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in his third year of eligibility, actually wore No. I've known people who couldn't tell an infield fly from a household pest who nevertheless held the Yankee Clipper in awe." Payton wore it during his entire career with the Bears. Several of the greats share the same number (Looking at you, No. He only played five seasons with the Blue Jays, but hes a bit of a hero in Toronto; his Jays teams won back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993, and Alomar hit .354 with 16 stolen bases in 24 playoff games during those two title runs. We are on a bit of a run of terrifying defensive linemen, but thats numbers in the 90s for you. In the 1993-94 season he won the Hart with 120 points but also won the Selke for best defensive forward. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 4:39AM. But lets shout out two other quarterbacks who wore 12: Terry Bradshaw and Joe Namath. Why hes here: The first-ballot Hall of Famer was just the third player in MLB history to register 3,000 hits and 500 homers. 96 for four seasons. Sandberg made 10 consecutive All-Star teams from 1984-93 and was named the 1984 NL MVP as he helped the Cubs make the playoffs that season for the first time since 1945. Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Mays hit 660 home runs, stole 338 bases and finished in the top six of the NL MVP voting 12 times in a 13-year stretch (he won the award in 1954 and 1965). The Russian fell just under 500 goals in his career, but it didnt keep him out of the Hall of Fame. 56 is even close. Owens was just recently inducted in the Hall of Fame, with plenty of highlights to fill his reel. One guy who was hard to strikeout? His on-base percentage: .482, the best ever. Lawrence Taylor, NFL; Shawne Merriman, NFL; Martin Truex Jr., NASCAR 57 Francisco Rodriguez, MLB; Tom Jackson, NFL; Dwight Stephenson, NFL 58 Jack Lambert, NFL; Derrick Thomas, NFL; Carl Banks,. Honorable mentions: Vada Pinson, Cesar Cedeno, Pedro Guerrero. The Cowboy and Bronco led the NFL in sacks twice and tackles for loss three times. After checking out the photo gallery, readthe list of top athletes at every number. Tweet us @USATODAYSports and let us know. In 67 career playoff games, Rose hit .321 and helped his teams to three World Series titles (1975-76 with the Reds and 1980 with the Phillies). Why he's here: The rest of the players who have worn No. He created the archetype of the modern slugger, and his exploits on and off the field made him the perfect Jazz Age superstar. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey might be the most famous NFL athlete wearing No. Honorable mentions: Ichiro Suzuki, Willie McGee, Trevor Hoffman. 12? When the Ravens had the best defense in the NFL, Lewis was at the center of that. All rights reserved. He made seven straight Pro Bowls in the 2000s and was named to the All-Decade team by the Hall of Fame as well. He has more sacks, for example, with 137.5. In those seven seasons he had 574 receptions for 9,142 yards and 90 touchdowns. Durant is a truly modern player, as hes a 7-footer who shoots threes with ease. However, that's usually a goaltenders number, in hockey and especially in soccer. He was forced to retire at 30 -- but he left behind a sport changed forever. Heres how incredible Fedorovs all-around game was. He was such a star that when he came out of retirement in '75 to play for the New York Cosmos of the upstart North American Soccer League, he instantly raised the profile of a sport that had been largely ignored by U.S. audiences. Witten will never make the football announcing Hall of Fame, but hes on his way to the NFL Hall when he finally retires. The Team clue is for the team that that athlete is most notable for while wearing the #23, not their current teams. Why he's here: Five Cy Youngs, 303 wins, 4,875 strikeouts.The Big Unit is the obvious choice. A total of 25 players choose 22 as . Honorable mentions: Appier, Russell Martin. Mantles Yankees played in the World Series 12 times they won seven of those and The Mick hit 18 homers in 65 games, a record that will never be broken. The 30+ Top Athletes To Wear Jersey Number 1, Ranked By Fans COLLECTION What's Your Number? Honorable mentions: Kirby Puckett, David Ortiz, Felix Hernandez, Fernando Valenzuela. Not a lot of great choices here, but Stieb was a solid player. Speaking of averaging a triple-double, the last guy to do that before Westbrook was Oscar Robertson, who wore the No. Brown played tackle for the Giants from 1953 until 1965, being named an All-Pro six times en route to the Hall. When you envision the best professional athletes of all time, how do you see them? Why hes here: When you start to look through MLB records for switch-hitters, you begin to put Beltrans stellar career in perspective. Not only did he compile a 2.75 career ERA in the regular season, but the lefty had a 2.71 ERA in 22 World Series starts, and was a huge reason those Yankees teams won the championship six times. William The Refrigerator Perry was the beloved face of the Chicago Bears defensive line, but Dent was the true star of the bunch. He led the league in receiving touchdowns three times and finished his career with 1,078 receptions. 6 for a few seasons in Miami, Russell wore it for his entire career a career, mind you, in which he averaged 22.5 rebounds per game. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Stats: 467 games played, 17.7 points per game, 6.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.8 steals, Vote up the top athletes who wore 2 for at least one professional season, The Greatest New York Yankees Of All Time, The Greatest Offensive Players in NBA History, 14 All-Star (19982002, 2004, 20062012, 2014), 5 World Series champion (1996, 19982000, 2009), 5 Gold Glove Award (20042006, 20092010), 5 Silver Slugger Award (20062009, 2012), 3 NBA Most Valuable Player (1979, 1982, 1983), 4 All-NBA First Team (1979, 1982, 1983, 1985), 4 All-NBA Second Team (1980, 1981, 1984, 1987), 2 NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2015, 2016), 3 NBA All-Defensive First Team (20152017), 2 NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2014, 2019). No, seriously. Tim Brown was also a great receiver but not quite on par with Owens. 81 with the Patriots when he was setting NFL records. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Sunday, April 30, 2:31PM. Another 87 with injury issues, Rob Gronkowski, deserves a mention, and not just because he has a WWE title to his name now. P.K. Years active: 1976-1995 Thirteen may be an unlucky number to some but not to a few all-time greats. 40 here, as the only real threat to him was Henrik Zetterberg. 31 is also often worn by goalies, but none was going to overthrow the Mad Dog. The Hall of Famer was perhaps the best tackle of the 80s, which is something Cincinnati can take credit for. Dierdorf, who you surely remember from his TV commentary work, wore 72 for the entirety of his career, which ended with him in the Hall of Fame. We feel comfortable saying Gonzalez is the best tight end ever. Honorable mentions: Tony Gwynn, Robin Yount, Billy Pierce. (Take that, Babe Ruth.) This was pretty much an impossible choice, guaranteed to please exactly nobody. 85 with a 0.45 WAR is good enough to beat out Che-Hsuan Lin. 26 his entire career, he may have been the choice. This was an easy choice. Hockey is also strongly represented with Brett Hull and Mike Bossy among others to sport the number in the NHL. The best player on the greatest dynasty in professional sports was Bill Russell. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Why hes here: Maybe the best pure hitter of all time, Williams finished his career with 521 home runs and a.344 average despite missing all or most of five seasons (1943-45 and 1952-53) while serving in the military. Why hes here: Eight seasons into his career with the Red Sox, Boggs owned a .352 batting average and five AL batting titles. Eck was the AL MVP and Cy Young winner in 1992 and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004. While he was an All-Pro only one time, that year he led the league in both sacks and forced fumbles. So did Tony Gwynn while he won eight batting titles. This was a battle between two running backs, namely Faulk and Adrian Peterson. Why he's here: A three-time All-Star and Cy Young winner is the easy choice. With all due respect to Gary Zimmerman, a Hall of Fame guard in the NFL, Karlsson is only 29 and on his way to the Hall himself someday. His Philadelphia Athletics didnt actually wear uniform numbers until 1931 (Grove was 30-4 with a 2.06 ERA that year), so Grove only wore 10 in 11 of his seasons, but he still gets the nod here (he led the AL in ERA six of those 11 years, btw). 25. This gallery provides a sample of SI's best players to wear numbers 00 to 10. Honorable mentions: Mike Schmidt, Don Sutton, Lou Brock. When Gretzky retired, and the NHL retired his number as a whole. He made eight All-Defense teams to go with 10 All-NBA teams. For the first two seasons of his career, Wright didnt wear No. LT was named Defensive Player of the Year three times with the Giants. Why he's here: Gibson was an elite pitcher, and he just barely edges out fellow elite pitcher Pedro Martinez for the top spot due to a longer career. Yes, Sayers played only five seasons in the NFL, more or less. 2. To purchase Any Given Number, go to SI.com/anygivennumber. We dont think so. Hes done so many incredible things already, and hes not quite done yet. Why he's here: The 2015 AL Cy Young winner is the easy choice after just four MLB seasons. Once he led the NHL in assists with 66, unheard of for a blue liner. Why he's here: The Dodger closer has worn No. No player in NHL history has more goals, assists or points. Baseball players like Rickey Henderson, Roger Clemens, and Clayton Kershaw have all worn 22 in MLB at some point as well. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. But Rice is the best receiver of all time to this day. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. NBA fans have representation, as well, with Joe Dumars, Charles Barkley, and Chris Webber among the famous players to wear the number. The iconic athletes are also indelibly linked to a number, or numbers, they wore. This was really a battle between Russ and his contemporary Damian Lillard. A full century after his career began, he is still the Babe Ruth of sports. To purchase Any Given Number, go to SI.com/anygivennumber. But he didnt wear that number anywhere else. Wayne Chrebet . Winning the Rookie of the Year award with the Buffalo Braves, Dantley his the ground running in the NBA. There arent many great 18s in sports history, though we will shout out Dave Cowens quickly. 20 4 - Adrian Dantley. His highlight reel is unparalleled. Bettis is in the Hall of Fame, as is pitcher Gaylord Perry, but Perry wore a few numbers in his career. Honorable mentions: Kershaw, Larry Walker, Luis Tiant. Shout out to Steve Heinze, the hockey player who wore 57 for the pun, but hes no match for Santana. Why hes here: The Cobra was a legitimate star in the late 1970s and early 1980s, winning an MVP, two batting titles and three Gold Gloves. When he can finally take the court for Brooklyn, that will probably be true as well, though he did wear No. No NBA player has ever wore No. > All Players To Wear Number 31. Nobody was as defensively formidable as Robinson in his heyday. He was also a fixture in the Fall Classic: Berra won 10 World Series rings, the most of any player in baseball history. Jim Brown played nine seasons in the NFL and led the league in rushing eight times and rushing touchdowns five times. He holds the world record for 100 metres, 200 metres and 4 100 metres relay and is the only sprinter to win Olympic 100 m and 200 m titles at three consecutive Olympics (2008, 2012 and 2016). Not that we had any choice here. Hockey? When you have a nickname like that, youve earned the right to be considered the greatest athlete to wear the No. 22 currently, but he isn't the only one sporting that number. The fact he wasnt Defensive Player of the Year that season was baffling. Why hes here: A-Rod wore No. Honorable mentions: Dwight Gooden, Hal Newhouser, Ted Lyons. Bonds won five of his seven NL MVPs with the Giants and broke pretty much every home run and walks record while wearing No. Do you have a sports website? Mike Singletary was a formidable linebacker patrolling the field in the NFL. His defense at shortstop was not great. 67 for five seasons, far more than any other player. He was all over the field for the Bears and actually had 41.5 sacks in his career as well. 84 for two seasons with the Rangers. However, he wore it for only two seasons as opposed to four wearing No. He already has three MVPs and should have even more than that. To celebrate the NFL's 100th season, the USA TODAY Sports Network is . Choose a TeamArizona DiamondbacksAtlanta BravesBaltimore OriolesBoston Red SoxChicago CubsChicago White SoxCincinnati RedsCleveland GuardiansColorado RockiesDetroit TigersHouston AstrosKansas City RoyalsLos Angeles AngelsLos Angeles DodgersMiami MarlinsMilwaukee BrewersMinnesota TwinsNew York MetsNew York YankeesOakland AthleticsPhiladelphia Back in the day in soccer, starters wore Nos. in 1941 he batted .406; no one has hit .400 since. There have been many outstanding athletes to dawn the number 23. Roger Federer (born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss professional tennis player. Yes, Cris Carter was great, and so was Kellen Winslow. Thomas numbers could have been even better, but he unfortunately died in a car accident after the 1999 season. No. Sure, Bourque wore seven until it was retired for Phil Esposito. Join our linker program. Do you have a sports website? To purchase Any Given Number, go to SI.com/anygivennumber. Derek Jeters #2 jerseys are still being sold to MLB fans years after his retirement,which shows just how much a number can mean to a player and how much a number can become synonymous with a player. How can you argue with the guy known as Mr. Nobody beats the Babe. Why hes here: Dean was a shooting star, a player who lit up the baseball world and flamed out way too soon (a broken toe in the 1937 All-Star game led to a cavalcade of injuries that crushed his career). Honorable mentions: Vladimir Guerrero, Scott Rolen, Kevin Brown, Why hes here: Blyleven made his big-league debut in 1970, a couple months after his 19th birthday, and made his last pitch in the majors at 41 years old. Kelce outdueled another NFL center, Jim Langer, for this honor. Instead he became one of the best pass rushers in the league. For now, though, were running from zero to 99 to find the best athlete for each number. Frequently Asked Questions about the NFL and Football, Pro-Football-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREE. Detroit sports fans are going to be feeling pretty good here. Why he's here: No one at No. Even NHL players like Bobby Orr and Scott Stevens sported the 4 on their backs while making an impact in their sport. He also ended his time in the NFL with a ring with the Steelers, though by that point he was no longer a Pro Bowl-caliber back. Andy Robustelli's years of faithful service merit him keeping his left hand on this number, but another Giant, Amani Toomer, gets to keep his right . Why hes here: The Hall of Famer won the Cy Young in both leagues, registered 314 wins and struck out 3,534 batters. However, he led the American League in ERA twice and won a Cy Young in 1978. Why hes here: The two pitchers on the HM line produced better career WAR numbers, but their overall contributions to the game pale in comparison to Clemente. His numbers may never be beaten. Sure, hes in the Hall of Fame, but the man was All-Pro six times and won Defensive Player of the Year once. Honorable mentions: Mel Ott, Paul Molitor, Duke Snider. Were we really going to go with Mark McGwire? Gehrig finished with 493 homers and a .340 career batting average, and he was even better in the World Series the Iron Horse hit .361 and popped 10 homers in 34 games as his Yankees claimed the title six times in seven tries. However, he retired in 1955, and thats just a different era of football. Mathis also had a penchant for punching out balls, as he led the NFL in forced fumbles three times. Ralph Branca - Baseball. 42 for all teams. As smooth and regal a player who ever wore a Celtics . Yes, really. Why he's here: The pitcher wore No. GALLERY: Top pro athletes bynumber, from 00 to 99, Jim Otto, NFL; Robert Parish, NBA; Ken Burrough, NFL, Russell Westbrook, NBA; Al Oliver, MLB; Gilbert Arenas, NBA, Oscar Robertson, NBA; Warren Moon, NFL; Ozzie Smith, MLB; Billy Martin, MLB; Pee Wee Reese, MLB, Derek Jeter, MLB;Moses Malone, NBA; Brian Leetch, NHL; Rusty Wallace, NASCAR;Al MacInnis, NHL, Babe Ruth, MLB; Dwyane Wade, NBA; Allen Iverson, NBA; Dale Earnhardt, NASCAR;Bronko Nagurski, NFL; Harmon Killebrew, MLB; Candace Parker, WNBA;Diana Taurasi, WNBA, Lou Gehrig, MLB;Brett Favre, NFL;Bobby Orr, NHL; Mel Ott, MLB; Duke Snider, MLB, Paul Molitor, MLB, Joe DiMaggio, MLB; Johnny Bench, MLB; Hank Greenberg, MLB; Paul Hornung, NFL; Brooks Robinson, MLB; George Brett, MLB; Nicklas Lidstrom, NHL;Dawn Staley, WNBA, Bill Russell, NBA; Julius Erving, NBA; Stan Musial, MLB; Al Kaline, MLB, Mickey Mantle, MLB; John Elway, NFL; David Beckham, soccer; Tiny Archibald, NBA;Phil Esposito, NHL, Cal RipkenJr., MLB; Yogi Berra, MLB; Troy Aikman, NFL; Steve Young, NFL;Carl Yastrzemski, MLB; Joe Morgan, MLB; Willie Stargell, MLB;Kobe Bryant, NBA, Ted Williams, MLB; Gordie Howe, NHL; Bob Pettit, NBA; Bill Elliott, NASCAR; Rocket Richard, NHL; Bobby Hull, NHL; Drew Brees, NFL; Roger Maris, MLB, Walt Frazier, NBA; Fran Tarkenton, NFL; Pele, soccer;Diego Maradona, soccer;Guy Lafleur, NHL; Chipper Jones, MLB; Lionel Messi, soccer, Isaiah Thomas, NBA; Mark Messier, NHL; Elvin Hayes, NBA; Yao Ming, NBA; Cale Yarborough, NASCAR;Teresa Weatherspoon, WNBA, Tom Brady, NFL; Joe Namath, NFL; Terry Bradshaw, NFL; John Stockton, NBA;Jim Kelly, NFL; Ken Stabler, NFL; Roger Staubach, NFL; Roberto Alomar, MLB, Wilt Chamberlain, NBA; Dan Marino, NFL; Alex Rodriguez, MLB; Steve Nash, NBA; James Harden, NBA, Pete Rose, MLB; Bob Cousy, NBA; A.J. Although Sweetness led the NFL in rushing yards only once, when he retired he led the league in career rushing yards, which he held onto until Emmitt Smith passed him. Jeters place among Yankees legends is secure, which is no small accomplishment for that franchise. The Babe was more than a baseball star and the most popular athlete of his era. White was the most feared pass rusher of his era, racking up sacks with gusto. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 310 weeks, including a record 237 .more. Its also enough for him to represent No. Vote up your favorite athletes to wear the number 2, then head over and check out some other iconic jersey numbers, including thebest players to wear No. 1 among numbers 1. The Celtics' big man averaged 22.5 rebounds in his career; between his mastery of the glass and his shot-blocking skills, few players have been more intimidating in the paint. 52 is close to as a accomplished as the 2007 Cy Young winner. The Hall of Fame second baseman hit arguably the most famous home run in the sport's history: the walk-off shot in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series. The Chief is a Hall of Famer, but Westbrook will be joining him someday. The Bus rumbled his way to a career 13,662 yards in his career. Why hes here: Robinsons career started with a bang he won the 1956 NL rookie of the year award in his Age 20 season for the Reds and barely ever slowed down. The Swede was the best offensive defenseman in the NHL, routinely racking up over 60 points. Josh Beckett wore No. 77 for just one season, but he's Pudge. Kelce, and his massive beard, was also key in the Eagles winning their first-ever Super Bowl. That makes Wilt the Stilt the choice. Why he's here: The 1978 AL Cy Young winner led the AL in wins twice and ERA twice and had his number retired by the Yankees. Because of injuries, Mogilny played in only 990 games over 16 seasons, but the Russian managed 473 goals in that time. Data Provided By Why he's here: Only three players have ever worn No. This was a really tough one. 5. For now, though, we're running from zero to 99 to find the best athlete for each number. To purchase Any Given Number, go to SI.com/anygivennumber. Martinez had a 1.74 ERA in 2000. The striking, photo-driven book, SI takes a comprehensive look at jersey numbers 00 to 99, across all sports and eras, to decide which elite pro athlete wore each digit best. Since the other choices at 14 werent incredibly obvious, Bob Cousy, Pete Rose, et al, we decided to honor Cruyff here. He wore it when he scored 100 points in one game. 99, but in every other season of his career he wore No. He carried the Milwaukee Bucks to their only NBA title before joining the Lakers. Still, Kuechenberg made six Pro Bowls as a guard for the Dolphins, including on the legendary undefeated Miami squad. 12 will forever be synonymous, even though hes now a Buccaneer. Eventually, Johnson would take the title of the top driver on the NASCAR circuit. He twice held the record for most touchdown passes in a season, one he still holds as of this writing. Jack Lambert was also fantastic. This was not a hard choice and not just because of the quality of Mannings career. Fun fact: With Williams away fighting in World War II, catcher Johnny Peacock wore No. All Rights Reserved. Its rare for a middle linebacker to get a ton of awards love, but Lewis managed to be named Defensive Player of the Year twice. Probably before his iconic Coca-Cola ad. He made five Pro Bowls and led the league in sacks once. Magic Johnson? Why hes here: The man with one of the greatest nicknames in baseball history the Wizard of Oz earned his reputation as arguably the best defensive shortstop in baseball history during a highlight-filled 19-year career that included 15 All-Star nods and 13 Gold Gloves. 14 and also, four not wearing a number at all. However, as great as Pistol and Ice Man were at basketball, Hammerin Hank was even better at baseball. Given that, wouldnt we feel weird to look back and see, say, Scott Niedermayers name here? His numbers blow everybody elses out of the water, and even in this pass-happy era nobody has topped Rices numbers yet. Players had long ago decided to stop wearing No. You know a goalie carried his team when that happens. #1 of 83. Otto Graham, the Hall of Fame quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, wore 60. 2:07. Why hes here: Ford was a stalwart in the Yankees rotation during the franchises glory years (well, one of their stretches of glory years). Goose Gossage had a fine career in baseball, but as a relief pitcher, and well go with a starting linebacker over a reliever any day of the week. We dont think its too early to make the call here. Clemente, who was born in Puerto Rico and was an idol to the people of Latin America, tragically died in a plane crash while trying to deliver supplies to Nicaragua to aid earthquake victims. Honorable mentions: Joe DiMaggio, Johnny Bench, Albert Pujols, Brooks Robinson, Jeff Bagwell. In particular, Moss wore No. This was one of the easiest choices we made. The NFL and NHL have alsohad their fair share of famous athletes who wore 2 on their jersey like Matt Ryan and Brian Leetch. Return to Top; Players. So when New York pulled off the massive deal to get Rodriguez, he switch to No. Alex Rodriguez may have a bit of the taint of PEDs on him, but he would be a fine choice. Why hes here: At some point, Clayton Kershaw might eventually hold this spot but for now were going with the much longer and still stellar career of Palmer. Once he won 10 races in a row. 70. We can see why. Jim Brown?) Tim Tebow wore 15 in college, but its hard to honor a player with a number off four years of action. Parish earned those rings by taking on three of the league's legendary big men in the NBA Finals: Moses Malone in '81, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in '84 and Hakeem Olajuwon in '86. Major League Baseball retired Robinsons number across the league. See More by this Creator. No. He played more games at first base than anyone. 5, as did Albert Pujols and Joe DiMaggio. 23, we rank the best all-time WNBA players by jersey number. In the News: Aaron Rodgers, Trey Lance, Brock Purdy, Jalen Hurts, Allen Robinson, Jordan Love. The No. Nevertheless, Chamberlain wore 13 throughout his NBA career. So did Diego Maradona. Theres more to Aaron than just his 755 homers. For a guy who played basketball in college, Gates had quite the NFL career. 00 Jim Otto to No. While he led the league in sacks only twice, his 198 career sacks are second-best in NFL history. Why hes here: A second-ballot Hall of Famer, Alomar was named to the All-Star team 12 consecutive seasons, with the Padres, Blue Jays, Orioles and Indians. Why he's here: Six All-Star appearances, a 2.35 ERA, 349 saves and a World Series ring. However, he did wear No. He led the NL in batting average seven times and in OPS seven times, though that statistic didnt exist during his career and finished with a career .331 average. The NBA also has a rich history of players to rock the number with champions like Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Garnett, and Kyrie Irving all sporting the 2 on their backs. 99 J.J. Watt. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Disagree with our picks? Then again, he played only nine seasons. Howe may have notched 801 career NHL goals, plus some more in the WHA, but Drew Brees could retire with a bunch of NFL records as well. Why hes here: Grove didnt make his big-league debut until 1925, when he was 25 years old, but he wasted no time becoming a star he led the AL in strikeouts each of his first seven years in the majors. Well give a shout out to the underrated Elgin Baylor, who also wore 22. He was a cultural icon, a one-man metaphor for excellence in any field. Branca, a pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers, wore no. Why hes here: Because he's Tom friggin' Seaver, that's why. We go from a Red Wings legend to the greatest Lions player of all time. More than 48,000 runners took on the race from Greenwich to The Mall - up . Honorable mentions: Charlie Gehringer, Nellie Fox, Red Schoendienst. Send a Message. He switched to No. Injuries caught up to Santana and will keep him out of the Hall of Fame, but at his peak he was incredible. 19. Still, Peyton is one of the all-time great NFL quarterbacks. Why he's here: Rincon wore No. 10. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. There has been some great players to wear the number 4 jersey, such as Dolph Schayes and Joe Dumars, but Adrian Dantley's career edges out the two, making him the best player to wear the #4 jersey. Reggie Miller also did some great things in this number. He actually pitched through the heart of the steroid era. Had Wade Boggs worn No. 30 with the Angels, meaning some of his most spectacular years didn't come at 34. We present them here for purely educational purposes. The seven-footer teamed with Larry Bird and Kevin McKale in the iconic frontcourt that led the Celtics to three NBA titles in the 1980s.
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