Why hes here: Because he's Tom friggin' Seaver, that's why. Were talking about numbers. Few players in any sport can match Russell's leadership and championship rsum. Some other excellent NFL stars wore 75, including Jonathan Ogden and Deacon Jones. The best New York athletes to wear every number The Greatest NBA Player To Wear Each Jersey Number From 00 to 23 90. Orlando Magic ( 20, 21) Greg Anthony. Why hes here: Grove didnt make his big-league debut until 1925, when he was 25 years old, but he wasted no time becoming a star he led the AL in strikeouts each of his first seven years in the majors. Lemieux is the rare player who is considered one of the top-10 athletes in his sport but also makes you ask, What could have been?. We wanted to take a panoramic look across the entire world of sports to find the best athlete to wear every number. Why he's here: No one else at No. 8 with the Indians and White Sox, but it wasn't available in Baltimore due to a certain future Hall of Famer. Honorable mentions: Appier, Russell Martin. Honorable mentions: Phil Niekro, Mike Mussina, Cole Hamels. While Johnson had a couple of seasons wearing other numbers, the Big Unit was the clear choice here. If you're the Babe Ruth of podiatrists, suddenly podiatry sounds like a pretty cool line of work to be in. 8 and 24. 67 for five seasons, far more than any other player. Nobody was close to the "Dominator.". 22 currently, but he isn't the only one sporting that number. Bettis is in the Hall of Fame, as is pitcher Gaylord Perry, but Perry wore a few numbers in his career. This was a really tough one. Since the other choices at 14 werent incredibly obvious, Bob Cousy, Pete Rose, et al, we decided to honor Cruyff here. Why hes here: First, sneak a peek at the honorable mentions for No. Thats what happens when you make six Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams. He was also an incredible player, winning Rookie of the Year and MVP during his career. Even then, though, Woodson is one of the most underrated players in NFL history. 12 when he signed with the rival Yankees as a free agent after the 1992 season, and thats the number he wore the final seven seasons of his Hall of Fame career. Dominant Digits -- The 10 most popular jersey numbers among - ESPN 35 the entire time. Want stats? 84 for two seasons with the Rangers. Why he's here: A first-ballot Hall of Famer with two Cy Youngs and more than 300 wins, Glavine laps the field at No. Congratulations, we guess? 25. Why he's here: Two seasons at No. The competition was slim, so you could say Johnson lapped them all. The long-time right tackle in Dallas made the Hall of Fame, and you can find him in the Cowboys Ring of Honor as well. Troy Polamalu, who wore 43, was a great safety, but hes not The King.. Theres more to Aaron than just his 755 homers. Sometimes Owens personality overshadowed his play. 14 and also, four not wearing a number at all. Its not a beloved number, apparently. And though he wasnt much with the bat early in his career, he did wind up with 580 career stolen bases and walked almost twice as many times as he struck out (1,072 to 589). His career average: .344, tied for the seventh-best alltime. He wore it when he scored 100 points in one game. P.K. His highlight reel is unparalleled. However, just including his time with the Giants he had a .312/.477/.666 slash line with 586 home runs. Nevertheless, Chamberlain wore 13 throughout his NBA career. The NFL and NHL have alsohad their fair share of famous athletes who wore 2 on their jersey like Matt Ryan and Brian Leetch. This was a neck-and-neck battle between Randle and Dwight Freeney, but in the end the guy currently in the Hall of Fame gets the nod. Were hitting the ice though with Lidstrom. Why hes here: At some point, Clayton Kershaw might eventually hold this spot but for now were going with the much longer and still stellar career of Palmer. For this number, were including guys who wore 00, like Robert Parish. He twice led the NFL in sacks, including a 22-sack season that almost broke the record. Mantle still wins. Why he's here: Hershisher's legendary 1988 performance gives him the edge over comtemporary Kevin Appier. Teammates back-to-back here. Allen was actually named to the Hall of Fames All-Decade team in both the 90s and the 2000s. Orr hurt his knee, while Gehrig tragically developed ALS, known colloquially to this day as Lou Gehrigs disease. Ripken is best-known for his Iron Man streak of 2,632 consecutive games played (Lou Gehrig previously held the record at 2,130) but he also made the All-Star team 19 times and won the 1991 AL MVP, too. The 30+ Top Athletes To Wear Jersey Number 1, Ranked By Fans COLLECTION What's Your Number? Their name most likely is on the back of that jersey, but so is something else. His on-base percentage: .482, the best ever. Why he's here: After just two seasons, the Cuban slugger has established himself as by far the best player at this number. Why he's here: The pitcher wore No. In a 20-year career, all with the Red Wings, the Swede won a whopping seven Norris Trophies for being the top defenseman. Roger Federer (born 8 August 1981) is a Swiss professional tennis player. In fact, nobody is within 1,000 yards of him. Why hes here: Look at the honorable mentions list. Subban would have been a more fun player to go with, and early in his career when he was winning the Norris he seemed on pace. The number suited him well. Mantles Yankees played in the World Series 12 times they won seven of those and The Mick hit 18 homers in 65 games, a record that will never be broken. While the number he wore, number 42, has always been special and acknowledged throughout the Majors Leagues, especially since Jackie Robinson's induction to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962, the day has . The NBA also has a rich history of players to rock the number with champions like Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Garnett, and Kyrie Irving all sporting the 2 on their backs. 1 among numbers 1. Peterson has more rushing yards anad rushing touchdowns, and he once ran for over 2,000 yards in a season. In a few years this choice is going to be even more obvious. Yes, Cris Carter was great, and so was Kellen Winslow. Jeter maybe didn't deserve the Gold Gloves, but he's the best athlete to wear the number two. Steph Curry is getting close to being the choice here. You can follow him on Twitter @ChrisXMorgan. Abdul-Jabbar has more points than anybody in NBA history. 0:00. Christiansen isnt a big name, but he had some great years with the Raiders. Why hes here: The man with one of the greatest nicknames in baseball history the Wizard of Oz earned his reputation as arguably the best defensive shortstop in baseball history during a highlight-filled 19-year career that included 15 All-Star nods and 13 Gold Gloves. 24. 11-99, and why, grab a copy at your nearest book store or go to SI.com/anygivennumber. In the News: Aaron Rodgers, Trey Lance, Brock Purdy, Jalen Hurts, Allen Robinson, Jordan Love. (Yes, he pitched too.) There has been some great players to wear the number 4 jersey, such as Dolph Schayes and Joe Dumars, but Adrian Dantley's career edges out the two, making him the best player to wear the #4 jersey. If we are going to honor his career anywhere, itll be at 24. Do you have a sports website? Dirk is the best player from Europe in NBA history. The Hall of Famer was an easy choice. 6 for a few seasons in Miami, Russell wore it for his entire career a career, mind you, in which he averaged 22.5 rebounds per game. Why he's here: Six All-Star appearances, a 2.35 ERA, 349 saves and a World Series ring. He gets the nod. Peterson cant compete with that. For a guy who played basketball in college, Gates had quite the NFL career. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. For certain numbers, itis almost impossible to choose one top athlete. Dierdorf, who you surely remember from his TV commentary work, wore 72 for the entirety of his career, which ended with him in the Hall of Fame. Why he's here: Not much to choose from, to be honest. He carried the Milwaukee Bucks to their only NBA title before joining the Lakers. In those seven seasons he had 574 receptions for 9,142 yards and 90 touchdowns. Data Provided By Why hes here: One of the greatest pichers ever, Maddux won four straight Cy Youngs and was elected to the Hall of Fame in a landslide on his first try. This is a stacked number, but its still such an easy choice to go with Mays, who is in the conversation about the greatest players in the history of the sport. Tim Brown was also a great receiver but not quite on par with Owens. He wore No. Bearing in mind LeBron wore No. But Ruth is maybe the best baseball player ever. Honorable mentions: Jeff Kent, Mark Langston, Dusty Baker. White was the most feared pass rusher of his era, racking up sacks with gusto. He captured the nations attention with his prodigious power three years after Wally Pipp led the AL with nine home runs, for example, Ruth swatted 54 for the Yankees in 1920 and engaging personality. He deservedly is in his sports Hall of Fame, unlike another guy who wore 47, Jack Morris. 40 here, as the only real threat to him was Henrik Zetterberg. Magic Johnson? 20 4 - Adrian Dantley. Frankly, thats more impressive than anything Gibson did, and it was one of five times Pedro led the majors in ERA. He only played five seasons with the Blue Jays, but hes a bit of a hero in Toronto; his Jays teams won back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993, and Alomar hit .354 with 16 stolen bases in 24 playoff games during those two title runs. Nowitzki changed the NBA. 61 for more than a few seasons, and Hernandez is the best of the bunch. The fact he wasnt Defensive Player of the Year that season was baffling. GALLERY: Top pro athletes bynumber, from 00 to 99, Jim Otto, NFL; Robert Parish, NBA; Ken Burrough, NFL, Russell Westbrook, NBA; Al Oliver, MLB; Gilbert Arenas, NBA, Oscar Robertson, NBA; Warren Moon, NFL; Ozzie Smith, MLB; Billy Martin, MLB; Pee Wee Reese, MLB, Derek Jeter, MLB;Moses Malone, NBA; Brian Leetch, NHL; Rusty Wallace, NASCAR;Al MacInnis, NHL, Babe Ruth, MLB; Dwyane Wade, NBA; Allen Iverson, NBA; Dale Earnhardt, NASCAR;Bronko Nagurski, NFL; Harmon Killebrew, MLB; Candace Parker, WNBA;Diana Taurasi, WNBA, Lou Gehrig, MLB;Brett Favre, NFL;Bobby Orr, NHL; Mel Ott, MLB; Duke Snider, MLB, Paul Molitor, MLB, Joe DiMaggio, MLB; Johnny Bench, MLB; Hank Greenberg, MLB; Paul Hornung, NFL; Brooks Robinson, MLB; George Brett, MLB; Nicklas Lidstrom, NHL;Dawn Staley, WNBA, Bill Russell, NBA; Julius Erving, NBA; Stan Musial, MLB; Al Kaline, MLB, Mickey Mantle, MLB; John Elway, NFL; David Beckham, soccer; Tiny Archibald, NBA;Phil Esposito, NHL, Cal RipkenJr., MLB; Yogi Berra, MLB; Troy Aikman, NFL; Steve Young, NFL;Carl Yastrzemski, MLB; Joe Morgan, MLB; Willie Stargell, MLB;Kobe Bryant, NBA, Ted Williams, MLB; Gordie Howe, NHL; Bob Pettit, NBA; Bill Elliott, NASCAR; Rocket Richard, NHL; Bobby Hull, NHL; Drew Brees, NFL; Roger Maris, MLB, Walt Frazier, NBA; Fran Tarkenton, NFL; Pele, soccer;Diego Maradona, soccer;Guy Lafleur, NHL; Chipper Jones, MLB; Lionel Messi, soccer, Isaiah Thomas, NBA; Mark Messier, NHL; Elvin Hayes, NBA; Yao Ming, NBA; Cale Yarborough, NASCAR;Teresa Weatherspoon, WNBA, Tom Brady, NFL; Joe Namath, NFL; Terry Bradshaw, NFL; John Stockton, NBA;Jim Kelly, NFL; Ken Stabler, NFL; Roger Staubach, NFL; Roberto Alomar, MLB, Wilt Chamberlain, NBA; Dan Marino, NFL; Alex Rodriguez, MLB; Steve Nash, NBA; James Harden, NBA, Pete Rose, MLB; Bob Cousy, NBA; A.J. When he can finally take the court for Brooklyn, that will probably be true as well, though he did wear No. Best all-time MLB players at each jersey number, 1-99, Best current players at each jersey number, 1-97. The Sultan of Swat mashed 714 home runs in a time when hitting 20 in a season was impressive. For a player who made only four Pro Bowls, Ward had quite the career. Bobby Orr, quite simply, transformed hockey. Fun fact: With Williams away fighting in World War II, catcher Johnny Peacock wore No. George Constanza thought Seven was a great name for a kid because of Mantle. Why he's here: The Dodger closer has worn No. For three straight years, he led the American League in strikeouts and FIP, and in two of those seasons he won the Cy Young as well. Why hes here: Musial feasted on opposing pitchers during his 22-year career with the Cardinals. Fan Fuel: Greatest players to wear No. 23 - sportsnet.ca Why hes here: One of the most underrated players of his era, Stieb was one of the top AL pitcher of the 1980s, even if no one knew it at the time. Here are seven amazing athletes besides LeBron James to wear that number. No. USA TODAY. Honorable mentions: Billy Williams, Chase Utley, Amos Otis. With all due respect to Gary Zimmerman, a Hall of Fame guard in the NFL, Karlsson is only 29 and on his way to the Hall himself someday. Before that, though, he had a long, successful career on the field. 31 is also often worn by goalies, but none was going to overthrow the Mad Dog. Outside of his rookie campaign, Mays wore 24 his entire career. Return to Top; Players. Were no fan of Schilling as a person, but this is about his skill on the mound. For 20 years Duncan was a metronome in the NBA. The eight-time All-Star lead the NL in ERA four times and won 355 games, most among pitchers of the last half century. 99 J.J. Watt. The Greatest Men's Tennis Players of All Time. I've known people who couldn't tell an infield fly from a household pest who nevertheless held the Yankee Clipper in awe." Why hes here: Armed with a sweet swing and an unparalleled batting eye, Carew won seven AL batting titles and hit at least .330 in 10 different seasons. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. In the middle of his career he lost a few seasons to injury, but that hasnt stopped him from putting up incredible numbers. Allen currently ranks 12th in career sacks. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. In fact, the iron man offensive lineman played in every game for 14 straight seasons. Foyt, Racing; Ernie Banks, MLB; Y.A. We are on a bit of a run of terrifying defensive linemen, but thats numbers in the 90s for you. No other player wore it for than one. Why he's here: The future Hall of Famer wore No. However, we couldnt deny Mantle. The longtime Devil picked up four Vezinas to go with three Stanley Cups. The Pittsburgh hero led the NL in batting average four times, led the Pirates to a World Series championship twice and won the NL MVP in 1966. After all, he was named to the NFL All-Pro team for six straight seasons. Find out more. The Swede was the best offensive defenseman in the NHL, routinely racking up over 60 points. 3? Or write about sports? Honorable mentions: Lou Whitaker, Pee Wee Reese, Richie Ashburn, Why hes here: Jeters career was nothing short of amazing. The NHL doesnt like to give the Hart Trophy to goalies. Shout out to Steve Heinze, the hockey player who wore 57 for the pun, but hes no match for Santana. Iconic NFL players with number 20 jerseys include Barry Sanders, Ed Reed, and Brian Dawkins, all Hall of Fame-level players whose career highlights are among the greatest moments in football history . No NBA player has ever wore No. To purchase Any Given Number, go to SI.com/anygivennumber. Not only did he compile a 2.75 career ERA in the regular season, but the lefty had a 2.71 ERA in 22 World Series starts, and was a huge reason those Yankees teams won the championship six times. Not that we had any choice here. His Philadelphia Athletics didnt actually wear uniform numbers until 1931 (Grove was 30-4 with a 2.06 ERA that year), so Grove only wore 10 in 11 of his seasons, but he still gets the nod here (he led the AL in ERA six of those 11 years, btw). Still, Peyton is one of the all-time great NFL quarterbacks. 99, but in every other season of his career he wore No. 64 are even more umipressive than Bonifacio. Orr is the choice at number 4, for far more than the Stanley Cup-winning goal he scored for the Bruins in 1970. Nobody has ever rushed for more yards than Smith. 5, as did Albert Pujols and Joe DiMaggio. Should we have just called him Mean Joe Greene? Why he's here: The long-time Angels Reliever is the best of a so-so group who wore No. Kevin Garnett wore No. Both had their careers cut short by their bodies giving out on them. Honorable mentions: Charlie Gehringer, Nellie Fox, Red Schoendienst. Sure, the NFL is a passing league now. Its also enough for him to represent No. Why he's here: The recently retired Hunter earned five All-Star selections and nine Gold Gloves over his 19-year career. It was one of the four years he led the league in rushing yards. Honorable mentions: Juan Guzman, Gerry Staley. Peppers was excellent for a long time as well, as he notched 11 sacks in 2017 as a 37 year old. No one else wore it for more than one. That was only one season out of his Hall-of-Fame career, of course. There wasnt much of a challenge to Bonds. There is great, and then there is Joe DiMaggio. We can see why. Sure, he benefited from the neutral-zone trap, but he also leads the NHL in career regular-season games played, wins, and shutouts. The Wizard owned the web gem before the term existed, but beyond his lengthy highlight reel the longtime Cardinal was remarkably consistent, setting records for assists and double plays by a shortstop. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. 88, and Eric Lindros may have been the choice if not for his unfortunate concussion issues. Williams set out to be the greatest hitter that ever lived, and it's hard to argue he wasn't. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. NBA fans have representation, as well, with Joe Dumars, Charles Barkley, and Chris Webber among the famous players to wear the number. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 4:39AM. We end where you knew we would. One guy who was hard to strikeout? McDavid is clearly going to be the kind of player who dominates the NHL for years at a time. Despite only pitching those five full seasons, Dean still was elected to the Hall of Fame. So did Diego Maradona. There werent many names to consider for 67. Hockey? When you have a nickname like that, youve earned the right to be considered the greatest athlete to wear the No. In his 20 years with the Yankees, The Captain earned 15 All-Star nods, rapped out 3,465 hits, scored 1,923 runs and hit .310 and he was a cornerstone for five World Series-winning squads. Ovechkin is still an active player who, hopefully, has a few more years left in his career. In the 1993-94 season he won the Hart with 120 points but also won the Selke for best defensive forward. 70. Apparently Pittsburgh Penguins history is filled with great players who wear unusual numbers. Honorable mentions: Clayton Kershaw, Will Clark, Roger Clemens. We considered Doak Walker, mostly for his college career as he only played a few seasons in the NFL. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. On top of that, Gehrig was the first player to have his number retired. We dont think so. 52: Brazile, Robert Brazile, Lewis, Ray Lewis, Gatski, Frank Gatski, Webster, Mike Webster 53: Carson, Harry Carson, Ford, Len Ford, Tingelhoff, Mick Tingelhoff, Webster, Mike Webster, Wojciechowicz, Alex Wojciechowicz 54: Ringo, Jim Ringo, Urlacher, Brian Urlacher, White, Randy White Honorable mentions: Nolan Ryan, Orlando Cepeda, Willie Randolph. (Though the image of Orr, arms raised in celebration as he literally flies across the crease, is legendary.) Pedro didnt pitch then. He won two MVP awards and finished second four other times he won the AL triple crown in two of those second-place years and his career on-base percentage of .482 is No. He was also All-Pro in all five of those campaigns. 79, which is kind of interesting, but a few football players have. Had Ken Dryden, the legendary Montreal Canadiens goalie, played longer he would have been the choice, and also Satchel Paige was known to wear the No. Stats: 467 games played, 17.7 points per game, 6.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.8 steals, Vote up the top athletes who wore 2 for at least one professional season, The Greatest New York Yankees Of All Time, The Greatest Offensive Players in NBA History, 14 All-Star (19982002, 2004, 20062012, 2014), 5 World Series champion (1996, 19982000, 2009), 5 Gold Glove Award (20042006, 20092010), 5 Silver Slugger Award (20062009, 2012), 3 NBA Most Valuable Player (1979, 1982, 1983), 4 All-NBA First Team (1979, 1982, 1983, 1985), 4 All-NBA Second Team (1980, 1981, 1984, 1987), 2 NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2015, 2016), 3 NBA All-Defensive First Team (20152017), 2 NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2014, 2019). Category:Players who wear/wore number 2 - Basketball Wiki This is tricky for the athletes who have worn a couple of numbers with semi-regularity for example, Kobe Bryant. He once led the NHL in goals scored and hit the 40-goal threshold three times. Tweet us @USATODAYSports and let us know. Damon hit 235 homers and stole 408 bases in his career. To celebrate the NFL's 100th season, the USA TODAY Sports Network is . 7 Incredible Athletes (Besides LeBron James) To Wear #23 Did you know that he still has more RBI than anybody in MLB history, or that hes third in hits? Why hes here: Maybe the best pure hitter of all time, Williams finished his career with 521 home runs and a.344 average despite missing all or most of five seasons (1943-45 and 1952-53) while serving in the military. Mark Messier would also make a fine choice. The man known simply as The Man, Musial won three MVP awards, finished in the top 10 of the MVP voting in 11 other seasons, was an All-Star 20 times, helped the Cardinals to three World Series titles and he finished his career with 3,630 hits (still fourth all-time) and 725 doubles (third all-time). Honorable mentions: Carl Yastrzemski, Yogi Berra, Willie Stargell, Joe Morgan. 56 is even close. I chose players based on their individual statistics . The iconic athletes are also indelibly linked to a number, or numbers, they wore. We feel comfortable saying Gonzalez is the best tight end ever. Carew made the All-Star team in 18 of his 19 seasons in the majors and was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year on the ballot (1991). When Don Larsen threw his perfect game in the '56 World Series, who do you think was behind the plate? Yes, Bob Gibson once had a 1.12 ERA in a season. Robinson is even better than the last player to wear his number, Mariano Rivera. Honorable mentions: Todd Helton, Lance Berkman, Mark Grace. Greatest NFL players by uniform number: From No. Ranking the greatest athletes from every sport to ever don those magic jersey numbers. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. 2:07. Winning the Rookie of the Year award with the Buffalo Braves, Dantley his the ground running in the NBA. Unfortunately for him, he spent half his career in other numbers. 13 and, as legend has it, playfully posed with black cats before the 1951 playoffs began. Even though he wore 45 for a bit, LeBron also wore No. Trout has been clearly the best player in MLB since his second year in the majors. All of. Ward is also famous for his vicious blocks, which isnt something every receiver is known to want to do. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC.