Tonight, the Los Angeles Lakers will retire both of Kobe Bryant's jersey numbers, honoring his 20-year career.
There was originally some debate as to which number the Lakers should retire for Kobe between number-8 (worn from 1996-2006) and number-24 (2006-2016), but ultimately he will become the first player ever to have two jerseys retired by the same team.
Rightfully so, too, considering both periods (each consisting of 10 seasons) were absolutely littered with achievements:
| Achievement | #8 (1996-2006) | #24 (2006-2016) |
|---|---|---|
| All-Star | 8 | 10 |
| All-NBA | 8 | 7 |
| All-Defensive | 6 | 6 |
| MVP | 0 | 1 |
| Championships | 3 | 2 |
As you can see, those accomplishments were fairly equal in nature across the two eras, as well.