Kobe Bryant played 20 years in his NBA career, 10 wearing No. 8 and another 10 wearing No. 24. When it came time to retire his number, the Lakers hung both from the Staples Center rafters, and it's easy to see why. When you separate the two, it's as if he had two legendary careers in one.
Bryant came into the NBA wearing No. 8, the sum of the digits on his jersey (143) at the Adidas ABCD camp for high school stars. After 10 years, Bryant wanted a fresh start, so he began wearing No.