Lakers could retire Kobe Bryant's jersey Nos. 8 and 24: Mitch Kupchak
The Los Angeles Lakers are planning to retire Kobe Bryant’s jersey nos. 8 and 24, according to general manager Mitch Kupchak.
Fans and pundits have been debating whether the Lakers organisation should retire Bryant’s No. 8 jersey or No. 24 jersey, but Kupchak hinted the Purple and Gold may hang both his numbers at the Staples Center’s rafters.
“I don't know the answer,” Kupchak said, reports the Los Angeles Times. “Obviously, it's going to be 8, 24 or it could be both.”
Bryant has won three championships wearing the No. 8 jersey. He then got another two trophies wearing the No. 24 jersey, which has made a trademark to the basketball world. The five-time NBA champ is playing in the last year of his $48.5 million contract with the Lakers, which is also the final year of his basketball greatness. The “Black Mamba” is set to retire at the end of the 2015-2016 NBA regular season.
The Lakers currently hold a record of 7 wins and 27 losses. They are bound to miss the playoffs again, but the future is bright for Los Angeles, who have been one of the healthiest teams in the league despite having an ailing Bryant.
“Through the first 20 games the Lakers lost a league-low five games due to injury, according to data compiled by Jeff Stotts, a certified athletic trainer who has cataloged the careers of more than 1,100 players dating back to the 2005-06 season,” ESPN’s Baxter Holmes wrote. “Compare that figure to last season, when the Lakers had lost 72 games due to injury through 20 games, according to Stotts’ data.”
Meanwhile, the Lakers are poised to embrace a future without Bryant as the team will have plenty of cap-room to sign top-talented players in free agency. Los Angeles expects to retain their young core of talents which include Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell.
Moreover, the Lakers have a chance to land Aussie basketball phenom Ben Simmons of the LSU Tigers using their top-three protected draft pick in 2016. This means losing a lot of games this season might not be bad for the Lakers after all.
