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Full list of retired jersey numbers for every NBA team

Shaquille O'Neal was announced as the first player to have his jersey number retired by the Orlando Magic. Here are the retired jersey numbers for every team in the NBA.

By Kevin Reyes

Orlando Magic v Washington Bullets
Orlando Magic v Washington Bullets / Focus On Sport/GettyImages
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The Orlando Magic finally did it.

During "Inside the NBA"s pregame coverage yesterday, Alex Martins, CEO of the Orlando Magic, announced that Shaquille O'Neal's #32 will be retired by the franchise. The retirement will happen in a postgame ceremony on Tuesday, Feb. 13 after the Magic play the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder in a game that will be nationally televised on TNT.

O'Neal played his first four seasons with Orlando after being drafted with the first overall pick in the 1992 Draft. To this day, he remains one of the best players to have ever played for them, and thus will receive the honor of being the first player to have his jersey number retired by the Magic franchise.

Which brings up two questions: 1. Why did it take so long? and 2. What jersey numbers are retired by other teams, for comparison sakes?

The first one I can't answer because I don't know. Your guess is as good as mine. The second one, though, I can, and I will. Right below. Just keep reading my friend.

FUN FACTS ABOUT RETIRED NBA JERSEY NUMBERS:

  • With Orlando retiring O'Neal's number, there are now only two NBA franchises to not have any jerseys in their rafters: the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors (the Memphis Grizzlies were also in this club until last season).
  • Shaq will join Wilt Chamberalin and Pete Maravich as the only three players in NBA history to have their jersey retired by three franchises. The Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat have already retired O'Neal's respective jersey numbers, while Chamberlain has his retired by the Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers and Golden State Warriors, and Maravich has his retired by the Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans (never played for them).
  • Bill Russell's #6 is the only number retired leaguewide.
  • Russell, Maravich, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan are the only players to have their jersey numbers retired by franchises they never played with.
  • For all the talk of the New York Yankees retiring all jersey numbers possible, it's actually the Boston Celtics that have the most jerseys retired out of all American sports team. The Celtics have retired 24, while the Yankees have 22.

Retiring a jersey number is the greatest honor a sports franchise can give an athlete. In celebrating their importance, the team places that number in the rafters, thus not allowing anyone else that plays for them to wear it (unless that player is cool with it).

Here's all the jersey numbers that are currently retired in the NBA: *teams listed in alphabetical order*

Atlanta Hawks

Jersey Number

Player

#9

Bob Pettit

#21

Dominique Wilkins

#23

Lou Hudson

#44

Pete Maravich

#55

Dikembe Mutombo

#59

Kasim Reed (was Atlanta's 59th Mayor)

Boston Celtics

Jersey Number

Player

#00

Robert Parish

#1

Walter Brown

#2

'Red' Auerbach (coach)

#3

Dennis Johnson

#5

Kevin Garnett

#6 (also leaguewide)

Bill Russell

#10

Jo Jo White

#14

Bob Cousy

#15

Tom Heinsohn

#16

Tom 'Satch' Sanders

#17

John Havlicek

#18

Dave Cowens

#19

Don Nelson

#21

Bill Sharman

#22

Ed Macauley

#23

Frank Ramsey

#24

Sam Jones

#25

K.C. Jones

#31

Cedric Maxwell

#32

Kevin McHale

#33

Larry Bird

#34

Paul Pierce

#35

Reggie Lewis

Brooklyn Nets

Jersey Number

Player

#3

Drazen Petrovic

#5

Jason Kidd

#23

John Williamson

#25

Bill Melchionni

#32

Julius Erving

#52

Buck Williams

Charlotte Hornets

Jersey Number

Player

#13

Bobby Phills

Chicago Bulls

Jersey Number

PlayerJ

#4

Jerry Sloan

#10

Bob Love

#23

Michael Jordan

#33

Scottie Pippen

Cleveland Cavaliers

Jersey Number

PlayerJ

#7

'Bingo' Smith

#11

Zydrunas Ilgauskas

#22

Larry Nance

#25

Mark Price

#34

Austin Carr

#42

Nate Thurmond

#43

Brad Daugherty

Dallas Mavericks

Jersey Number

Player

#12

Derek Harper

#15

Brad Davis

#22

Rolando Blackman

#24

Kobe Bryant (after his death)

#41

Dirk Nowitzki

Denver Nuggets

Jersey Number

Player

#2

Alex English

#12

'Fat' Lever

#33

David Thompson

#40

Byron Beck

#44

Dan Issel

#55

Dikembe Mutombo

#432

Doug Moe (coach with 432 wins with the franchise)

Detroit Pistons

Jersey Number

Player

#1

Chauncey Billups

#2

Chuck Daly (coach)

#3

Ben Wallace

#4

Joe Dumars

#10

Dennis Rodman

#11

Isiah Thomas

#15

Vinnie Johnson

#16

Bob Lanier

#21

Dave Bing

#32

Richard Hamilton

#40

Bill Laimbeer

Golden State Warriors

Jersey Number

Player

#13

Wilt Chamberlain

#14

Tom Meschery

#16

Al Attles

#17

Chris Mullin

#24

Rick Barry

#42

Nate Thurmond

Houston Rockets

Jersey Number

Player

#11

Yao Ming

#22

Clyde Drexler

#23

Calvin Murphy

#24

Moses Malone

#34

Hakeem Olajuwon

#44

Elvin Hayes

#45

Rudy Tomjanovich

Indiana Pacers

Jersey Number

Player

#30

George McGinnis

#31

Reggie Miller

#34

Mel Daniels

#35

Roger Brown

#529

Bobby Leonard (coach with 529 wins with the franchise)

Los Angeles Lakers

Jersey Number

Player

#8/#24

Kobe Bryant

#13

Wilt Chamberlain

#16

Pau Gasol

#22

Elgin Baylor

#25

Gail Goodrich

#32

'Magic' Johnson

#33

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

#34

Shaquille O'Neal

#42

James Worthy

#44

Jerry West

#52

Jamaal Wilkes

#99

George Mikan

Memphis Grizzlies

Jersey Number

Player

#50

Zach Randolph

*the franchise announced in 2021 that Tony Allen's #9 would be getting retired, but that ceremony has been delayed due to Allen's recent legal troubles

Miami Heat

Jersey Number

Player

#1

Chris Bosh

#3

Dwyane Wade

#10

Tim Hardaway

#23

Michael Jordan (never played for franchise)

#32

Shaquille O'Neal

#33

Alonzo Mourning

*Udonis Haslem's #40 will be retired Friday, Jan. 19 2024

Milwaukee Bucks

Jersey Number

Player

#1

Oscar Robertson

#2

Junior Bridgeman

#4

Sydney Moncrief

#8

Marques Johnson

#10

Bob Dandridge

#14

Jon McGlocklin

#16

Bob Lanier

#32

Brian Winters

#33

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Minnesota Timberwolves

Jersey Number

Player

#2

Malik Sealy

New Orleans Pelicans

Jersey Number

Player

#7

Pete Maravich (never played for the franchise)

New York Knicks

Jersey Number

PlayerJ

#10

Walt Frazier

#12

Dick Barnett

#15

Dick McGuire, Earl Monroe

#19

Willis reed

#22

Dave DeBusschere

#24

Bill Bradley

#33

Patrick Ewing

#613

Red Holzman (coach with 613 wins with the franchise)

Oklahoma City Thunder / Seattle Supersonics

Jersey Number

Player

#1

Gus Williams

#4

Nick Collison

#10

Nate McMillan

#19

Lenny Wilkens

#24

Spencer Haywood

#32

Fred Brown

#43

Jack Sikma

Philadelphia 76ers

Jersey Number

Player

#2

Moses Malone

#3

Allen Iverson

#4

Dolph Schayes

#6

Julius Erving

#10

Maurice Cheeks

#13

Wilt Chamberlain

#15

Hal Greer

#24

Bobby Jones

#32

Billy Cunningham

#34

Charles Barkley

Phoenix Suns

Jersey Number

Player

#5

Dick Van Arsdale

#6

Walter Davis

#7

Kevin Johnson

#9

Dan Majerle

#13

Steve Nash

#23

Tom Chambers

#31

Shawn Marion

#33

Alvan Adams

#34

Charles Barkley

#42

Connie Hawkins

#44

Paul Westphal

Portland Trail Blazers

Jersey Number

Player

#1

Larry Weinberg (team founder and owner)

#13

Dave Twardzik

#14

Lionel Hollins

#15

Larry Steele

#20

Maurice Lucas

#22

Clyde Drexler

#30

Bobby Gross, Terry Porter

#32

Bill Walton

#36

Lloyd Neal

#45

Geoff Petrie

#77

Jack Ramsay (head coach)

Sacramento Kings

Jersey Number

Player

#1

Nate Archibald

#2

Mitch Richmond

#4

Chris Webber

#11

Bob Davies

#12

Maurice Stokes

#14

Oscar Robertson

#16

Peja Stojakovic

#21

Vlade Divac

#27

Jack Twyman

#44

Sam Lacey

San Antonio Spurs

Jersey Number

Player

#00

Johnny Moore

#6

Avery Johnson

#9

Tony Parker

#12

Bruce Bowen

#13

James Silas

#20

Manu Ginobili

#21

Tim Duncan

#32

Sean Elliott

#44

George Gervin

#50

David Robertson

Utah Jazz

Jersey Number

Player

#1

Frank Layden

#4

Adrian Dantley

#7

Pete Maravich

#9

Larry Miller (owner)

#12

John Stockton

#14

Jeff Hornacek

#32

Karl Malone

#35

Darrell Griffith

#53

Mark Eaton

#1,223

Jerry Sloan (coach with 1,223 wins with franchise)

Washington Wizards / Bullets

Jersey Number

Player

#10

Earl Monroe

#11

Elvin Hayes

#25

Gus Johnson

#41

Wes Unseld

#45

Phil Chenier

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