Philadelphia 76ers should retire Kobe Bryant’s number
The Philadelphia 76ers should honor recently deceased NBA legend and local product by retiring one of his numbers at Wells Fargo Center.
A shock wave hit the world as news came out that NBA legend Kobe Bryant passed away in a helicopter crash along with his 13-year-old daughter. I personally was taken back by the news, as I’m sure most that are reading this article were. Kobe will be surely missed by the NBA community as a whole and the Philadelphia 76ers can do their part in trying the honor the late star.
I would like to suggest that the Sixers retire one of Kobe’s number in the rafters of the Wells Fargo Center. Despite Kobe never suiting up for the 76ers, there’s precedence for Philly to retire one of his numbers if they choose to do so.
In the past, the Miami Heat retired Michael Jordan‘s number 23. Currently, one other team in the Dallas Mavericks have already decided to retire Kobe’s number 24 jersey, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Not only is the precedence for the Sixers to retire Kobe’s one of number, but there’s good reason for them to do it as well.
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Kobe is a five-time champions, 18-time All-Star, MVP and easily the second greatest shooting guard of All-Time. More importantly, he also had a special connection with the city. Kobe played his high school basketball at Lower Merion and is originally from Philadelphia.
While it’s true that he never played for the franchise and even prevented an Allen Iverson lead 76ers squad from winning a championship, he’s basically a local hero. What he’s done for the NBA as a whole and the fact he’s a local product should be reason enough for Philly to retire one of his numbers.
If the Sixers decide to actually retire one of Kobe’s number, it will have his number eight jersey that he wore for the first half of his career. The number 24 that he wore for the second half of his career has already been retired by the 76ers to honor Bobby Jones.
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Having Kobe’s number eight hanging above the Philadelphia 76ers court seems appropriate based on his connect to the city and what he’s done for the NBA. We at The Sixer Sense support the Bryant family during this grieving period and send our condolences.