Kemba Walker Details Impact of Lakers’ Kobe Bryant on Jersey Number

Boston Celtics guard Kemba Walker wears the number 8 jersey because of Los Angeles Lakers‘ legend Kobe Bryant. And when the Celtics’ All-Star looks down at his chest, he will always be reminded of Bryant.

Walker, during a recent interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols on The Jump, revealed while others were changing their numbers from eight and 24 to honor Bryant after his tragic death last month, he wanted to continue to wear the number 8 to honor Kobe Bryant.

“Now, that number means even more. So every time I step on the court, I just want to give 100 percent for him,” Walker said. “That’s my goal for the rest of the year and for the rest of my career.”

Walker did share that he considered making a number changes as did a lot of his peers around the league. However, he ultimately decided to continue wearing the number eight to honor his childhood hero.

“I had a talk about it with some close people in my circle,” said Walker. “I definitely thought about giving it up, but then I thought, I think Kobe would want me and allow me to wear it. We want to keep his legacy going. I know of a few of us that’s kept it. We’re all just going to go out there and do what we can to play as hard as possible for Kobe.”

Walker is averaging 21.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game in 46 games played for the Boston Celtics this season. Walker, along with Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart, and Jaylen Brown, has anchored the Celtics in the third spot in the Eastern Conference.

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Why did Kobe Bryant Wear the Number Eight and Twenty-Four

Bryant wore the number, according to ESPN, he chose the number based on his Adidas camp number, 143. Those three numbers add up to eight, and the number eight was the one he wore in Italy when he was younger.

Before Bryant retired from the NBA, he explained the meaning behind him choosing eight and 24 during his career with the Los Angeles Lakers.

“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,” said Bryant. “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.”

He changed his number to 24 because he wanted a clean slate after the departure of his former running mate Shaquille O’Neal to Miami Heat in the summer of 2004. There was also a change in Kobe’s mentality following Shaq’s departure, and many of us know it as Mamba Mentality today.

“Then 24 is a growth from that,” he explained. “Physical attributes aren’t there the way they used to be, but the maturity level is greater,” shared Bryant. “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.”

The Los Angeles Lakers would decide to retire both of Bryant’s jerseys on December 18, 2017.

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