The Los Angeles Lakers are retiring Kobe Bryant’s No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys on Monday at halftime against the Golden State Warriors. It’s a decision that the Lakers made in September, and it will come with all the festivities that you would expect from anything involving the beloved basketball legend.
Why Kobe Bryant’s getting two jerseys retired, and everything else you need to know
Bryant’s jersey retirement will include No. 8 and No. 24, and he deserves it.
Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images for Nike
Ever since Bryant’s retirement in 2016, when he went out with 60 points in his final game, there has been a friendly debate about which jersey number deserved to be retired. The stats are remarkably similar — Bryant scored more with No. 24 but won one additional championship with No. 8.
Bryant’s two jerseys will become the 10th and 11th jerseys retired in Los Angeles. The other nine are Wilt Chamberlain’s 13, Elgin Baylor’s 22, Gail Goodrich’s 25, Magic Johnson’s 32, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 33, Shaquille O’Neal’s 34, James Worthy’s 42, Jerry West’s 44, and Jamaal Wilkes’ 52.
Where can I watch this?
The Warriors and Lakers play at 10:30 p.m. ET on Monday night on NBA TV. The jersey retirement will be held at halftime, meaning it should start around 11:45 p.m. or midnight. You can watch NBA TV with cable television but also some streaming services like Sling TV. Check the Lakers’ and NBA’s Twitter feeds around that time for possible live streams of the ceremony.
Why are the Lakers retiring both?
What choice did they really have? In one tweet, here’s why they’re doing it.
Bryant finished his career with 18 All-Star appearances, an MVP, two Finals MVPs, 11 All-NBA first-team appearances, nine All-Defensive first-team appearances, and two scoring championships. For the most part, those accolades were split relatively evenly down the middle. It would be impossible to choose one 10-year half of Bryant’s career against the other. Unless Bryant picked one or the other, the Lakers had to do this.
It’s Kobe Bryant, so who’s really complaining?
It’s gonna be expensive
As of 11 a.m. ET this morning, StubHub is selling upper-bowl tickets starting at $260. The lower bowl is at least $500, and goes past $1,000 for mid-court seats. Apparently, it’s the most expensive regular season ticket since Bryant’s real retirement game two seasons ago.
Don’t worry — if you don’t want to pay extravagant money for tickets, there’s more that you can buy. Local retailers will be selling Bryant “retirement jerseys,” which is basically just an excuse for Nike to slap Bryant’s name on their new league jerseys. It retails for $524.08. (It’s a shame Bryant didn’t win just one or two championships, so this could be a much more affordable $124.08 or $224.08.)
You can also buy special Air Force Ones.
For something less expensive, Angelenos can visit “Kobeland,” a free amusement park-style street fair. It’ll be hosted right outside Staples Center.
What should we expect?
Kobe Bryant will be in attendance, and so should plenty of Lakers legends. (Phil Jackson will not be present, however.) Bryant will certainly speak for some amount of time, and the Lakers will unveil the dual jerseys in the rafters.
As for the game itself, the Warriors will be shorthanded: Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Shaun Livingston have all been ruled out, while Zaza Pachulia is doubtful. Good news, though: Nick Young will be available to play against his former teammates.
That said, the Warriors are undefeated in the four games since Curry went down injured. Kevin Durant is averaging nearly 34 points across those four games, and Golden State has blown out two opponents despite the missing starters. It’s not impossible to see the Lakers commemorating Bryant’s jersey retirement day with a victory, but you shouldn’t expect it.
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