Vanessa Bryant reacts to Dodgers star Miguel Rojas rocking Kobe Bryant's iconic No. 8 Lakers jersey
Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa Bryant reacted to LA Dodgers star Miguel Rojas rocking her late husband's iconic No. 8 LA Lakers jersey. Rojas wore the NBA legend's black and gold jersey on Saturday, ahead of Game 1 of the Dodgers' NLDS against the San Diego Padres.
Vanessa reshared the Dodgers' Instagram post on her story that featured the players entering the stadium.
Kobe Bryant wore No. 8 from the start of his iconic NBA career in 1996, up until the 2005-06 season after which he switched to No. 24. He won the first three of his five NBA championships wearing the number 8.
According to ESPN, Bryant chose No. 8 based on his Adidas camp number, 143, as it adds up to eight, and was the number he wore in Italy when he was younger. His switch to No. 24 later on in his career was to match the jersey number he had in high school at Lower Merion.
The LA Lakers honored Kobe Bryant's iconic career by retiring both of his jersey numbers in 2017, making him the only player in league history to have two jersey numbers retired with the same team.
Kobe Bryant explained his jersey numbers ahead of retirement
Ahead of the LA Lakers retiring both of his jersey numbers, Kobe Bryant explained his mentality with the two eras of his NBA career differentiated by his jersey numbers.
Bryant elaborated that his attitude with No. 8 was to prove himself while it was more of a broader perspective with No. 24.
"When I first came in at 8, is really trying to 'plant your flag' sort of thing. I got to prove that I belong here in this league. I've got to prove that I'm one of the best in this league. You're going after them. It's nonstop energy and aggressiveness and stuff."
"Then 24 is a growth from that. Physical attributes aren't there the way they used to be, but the maturity level is greater. Marriage, kids. Start having a broader perspective being one of the older guys on the team now, as opposed to being the youngest. Things evolve."
Kobe Bryant had similar stats in each jersey, totaling 16,777 points in No. 8 and 16,866 points in No. 24. The Lakers legend also said that if he had to choose just one number to retire, he would pick No. 24, citing that it was more challenging for him.