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One of the greatest honors to bestow upon a player is to have there jersey hanging in the rafters. It is a testament to the players' legacy that is even greater than championships, the fame, and the money and it is also an assessment made by a team that a player did so much for them that no one can ever wear that number ever again.
Over the course of history, there are been a plethora of players who have made such an impact on the franchise and the local community that goes beyond the hardwood. There are some players like Tim Duncan who played for the same franchise their whole career.
Taking nothing away from them, there have been some amongst those elite players that have been able to accomplish a legacy with not one but multiple teams, earning the right to have their jersey retired by two different franchises after they retire.
We have created a list of top 10 NBA players who had more than one of their jerseys retired. Since we can only choose 10 such players, this list has been created and ranked according to the accomplishments and the impact that these players had with their respective franchises, and the legacy that they left when all was said and done.
Honorable Mentions
Before we dive into the top 10 list, let us take a brief look at some of the honorable mentions.
Pete Maravich, famously known as 'Pistol Pete', was undoubtedly one of the most gifted offensive players in NBA history averaging over 24 points per contest for his career. His ball-handling wizardry and court vision was second to none.
Maravich spent majority and peak years of his career playing for the New Orleans Jazz which was relocated to Salt Lake City in 1979. Therefore, his number 7 jersey ended up getting retired by the city's previous as well as the current franchise. The Atlanta Hawks, where he played the initial years of his career, also recently retired Pete's number 44 jersey.
Nate Thurmond was inserted into the starting spot to fill the void left by Wilt Chamberlain when he decided to take his talents to the Los Angeles Lakers, and he didn't disappoint. Thurmond broke Chamberlain's record of career rebounds.
He is the Philadelphia Warriors' third all-time leading scorer and the all-time leader in defensive win shares. During the twilight years of his career, Thurmond became the vocal leader for the Cleveland Cavaliers and was a fundamental part of their Finals run. Therefore, his jersey number 42 has been retired by both these franchises in honor of his contribution.
Bob Lanier was drafted by the Detroit Pistons. In his 10 year tenure with the Pistons, Lanier was a beast, averaging 22.7 points, 11.8 boards, and 2 blocks per game. He was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in 1980. Although his numbers took a great dip, the leadership he brought helped the Bucks win 5 division titles.
The great Michael Jordan spent the majority of his career playing for the Chicago Bulls who retired his number 23 jersey. Although he never played for the Miami Heat, the franchise has his jersey hanging in the rafters to honor his contribution to basketball.
#10 Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley, nicknamed as 'Chuck', was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1984. During his eight-year tenure with the Sixers, Barkley averaged 23.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game while shooting a gargantuan 64 percent from the field. He took his team to the Eastern Conference Finals in his rookie season.
Barkley was traded to the Pheonix Suns in 1993. In his first season only, Chuck was named the Most Valuable Player averaging 25 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. He led the Suns to the NBA Finals that year, but fell in six games to the Chicago Bulls, becoming yet another victim of Michael Jordan. In his four years with the Suns, Barkley averaged the highest PER in team history at 24.7 and therefore is easily one of the best players in their franchise history.
Even though Barkley didn't end his career with the best of finishes, asking for a trade to a contending squad, he is still one of the most entertaining and dominant power forwards to have ever played the game. He was so dominant down low, that the league had to change rules due to how easy it was for him to bully his way past defenders and hit a turnaround from the elbow. Although Charles never won a championship, he totally deserves his number 34 jersey retired by both the Sixers and the Suns.
#9 Earl Monroe
Earl 'the Pearl' Monroe, also known as the 'Black Jesus', was one of the most talented yet unlucky players in the history of the NBA. He might be the only player who lost two consecutive Finals while playing for two different and being the leading player on both those teams.
During the first half of his NBA career, Earl played for the Baltimore Bullets where he was teamed up with Wes Unseld. During his tenure there, Earl became a huge star, particularly due to his playmaking ability. In 1971, he was traded to the New York Knicks which saw him paired alongside Walt Frazier.
The duo formed one of the best backcourts at that time and also one of the greatest backcourt combinations in NBA history. The pair, along with Bill Bradley, went onto win an NBA championship in 1973 by defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games.
Even though Earl was forced to retire due to a knee injury, his impact on the hardwood floor coupled with his leadership qualities on and off the court earned him the right to get his number 15 jersey retired by the Knicks and the number 10 by the Baltimore (Wizards).
#8 Clyde Drexler
Clyde Drexler was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1983 where he played the majority of his professional career. He had the best moments of his career while playing for the Trail Blazers leading them to two NBA Finals. In 1990, he fell to the 'Bad Boys' Detroit Pistons and in 1992 he became another victim of his 'Airness', Michael Jordan.
Even though he couldn't win a Final, he is Trail Blazers' career leader in 15 different categories, including points, rebounds, games, minutes and is second in franchise history in assists. In 1995, Portland accepted Drexler's request to be traded to a contender and moved him to the Houston Rockets.
Joining forces with Hakeem Olajuwon, Drexler and the Rockets won their first championship in 1995 (during Jordan's retirement). Drexler averaged 20.1 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists while leading the league in offensive win shares during the postseason that year and played a crucial role in this Rockets' championship run.
People often forget how great Drexler was at the 2-spot because of Jordan's surge and presence. For his great years as a Blazer, and his championship run with the Rockets, both franchises have his number 22 jersey hanging in the rafters in his honor.
#7 Oscar Roberston
Oscar Roberston, famously known as 'The Big O', is widely recognized as one of the greatest all-around players in the history of this game. He started off his career playing for the Cincinnati Royals. It his during his tenure with the Royals that he had the most prolific years of his professional career.
The second year into the league, Roberston became the first person in NBA History to average a triple-double for a single season, posting 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game. Roberston played 10 years with the franchise averaging 29.8 points, 10.3 assists and 8.5 rebounds per game. He is, to this date, the King's franchise leader in points and assists and is third in rebounds.
After playing for a decade with the Royals, Roberston was dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks. Joining forces with a young Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lew Alcindor, Roberston won his first and only NBA title in 1971.
For his outstanding contribution to both these franchises, Roberston has two different numbers retired. Number 14 has been retired by the Sacremento Kings and number 14 by the Milwaukee Bucks.
#6 Moses Malone
Moses Malone started his professional career playing two years in the American Basketball Association (ABA). After the merger in his third year, Malone ended up in the Houston Rockets through a convoluted series of trades. During his five year tenure with the Rockets, Malone averaged 24 points and 15 rebounds per game, being named the Most Valuable Player in 1979 and 1982.
In 1982, Malone signed with the Philadelphia 76ers as a free agent, joining forces with his former ABA All-Star, Julius Erving. He made an impact instantly, winning the Most Valuable Player award while leading the Sixers to the NBA Finals in the post-season.
Malone helped the Sixers sweep the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1983 NBA Finals, winning his only NBA championship. He was also named the Finals MVP. The 1983 Sixers team is widely recognized as one of the greatest single-season teams in NBA history.
Although Malone played for numerous other teams before he decided to retire, he is mostly remembered for his great years in Houston and his championship run in Philadelphia. Therefore, the Rockets retired Malone's 24 number jersey while the Sixers retired his number 2 jersey.
#5 Julius Erving
Julius Erving, famously known as 'Dr. J', was drafted in ABA by the Virginia Squires. Being on the verge of financial collapse, the Squires had to trade Erving to the Nets. During his tenure with the Nets, Erving averaged 28.2 points per game while also becoming the franchise career leader in PER at 26.8. He won three ABA MVPs titles and scoring titles and led the Nets to two ABA Championships.
After the merger, the Nets were unable to pay Erving the contract he was promised as they had to pay money to the Knicks for 'invading their territory'. In order to remain solvent, the Nets traded Erving to the Philadelphia 76ers. Playing for the 76ers, Erving was named the 1981 NBA MVP. He also won his first and only NBA Championship with them in 1983. Erving is fourth on the franchise's all-time scoring and assists leader's list and seventh in rebounds.
Doctor J was one of the most influential and dominant players of his generation. He was a total beast on both ends of the floor and his style of play and athleticism served as an inspiration to many NBA greats that came after him. The Nets retired his number 32 jersey while the Sixers retired his number 6 jersey.
#4 Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain is the only player on this list and in NBA history to have his jersey retired by three teams, the Philadelphia 76ers, the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers (all number 13).
Wilt was drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors in 1960. He made an immediate impact on the franchise and the league, winning both rookie of the year and MVP awards averaging an unfathomable 37.6 points and 27 rebounds per game for the season. Since then, only one player apart from Wilt and Elgin Baylor has ever recorded a higher scoring average for a single season.
During his tenure with the Warriors, Chamberlain averaged legendary numbers of 41.5 points and 25.1 rebounds per game. In 1962, he became the only player in NBA history to score 4000 points in a single season, averaging 50.4 points per game.
Midway through the 1965 season, Chamberlain was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. In the three years he spent with the Sixers, Wilt won three more MVPs, including 1967 where he also finally won his first championship. In the 1968 season, he led the league in assists becoming the only center in NBA History to do so. He also, at some point in his career, led the league in scoring, rebounds, and assists.
In 1969, the Sixers traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers where he teamed up with three other Hall of Famers in Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, and Gail Goodrich. By that time, Chamberlain had slowed down, averaging 'only' 17.7 points, 19.2 boards and 4.3 assists per game. He won his second championship with the Lakers in 1972 and was also named the Finals MVP.
Wilt was easily one of the most dominant players of his era and in the history of this league. He was so athletic and gifted that the league had to change many rules to make the game more fair for the other teams when he was on the hardwood.
#3 Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal, famously known as 'Shaq', was drafted by the Orlando Magic in 1992. He quickly earned the reputation of being one of the best centers in the league. After playing four years with the Magic, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1997 where he played the some of the best basketball of his career.
Paired alongside a young Kobe Bryant, the duo went onto win three consecutive championships from 2000-2002, and form one of the best teams to have ever been assembled in NBA History. It was during this time, that O'Neal established himself as an overpowering low post presence and as one of the most unstoppable force this game has ever seen. He was named the Finals MVP in all of the three championships.
Amid tension between O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004. Shaq formed the perfect complement for a young Dwyane Wade and helped the Heat win their first ever championship in 2006 while winning his fourth championship title in the process.
Shaquille O'Neal will go down in history books as one of the most dominant centers and the strongest players to ever have ever set foot on the hardwood floor in the history of this league.
A human highlight reel that could demolish backboards with the same ease as he could get past defenders obviously had to be immortalized for his talents. Therefore, for his contribution to both these franchises, the Los Angeles Lakers retired his 34 jersey while the Miami Heat hanged his 32 jersey in the rafters.
#2 Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant spent the entire 20 years of his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Then, how come he makes this list? Kobe is the only player on this list who has two of jerseys retired by the same team.
Byrant was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets in 1996. But, in one of the craziest NBA Draft day trades, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe for the first part of his career with the Lakers wore number 8 jersey.
Paired alongside another NBA Legend in Shaquille O' Neal, the two formed one of the greatest center and guard duo since Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar joined forces in the 1980s. The duo dominated the league for three years which led to Kobe winning three championships in a row.
Ten years into his career, Kobe decided to change his jersey number to 24 in which he retired. Wearing this jersey, Bryant was named the 2008 NBA MVP. He also helped the Lakers reach three straight NBA Finals and led them to win two of them. He was named the Finals MVP in both of them.
Kobe had some unbelievable performances in both these jerseys as a Laker. So after he decided to retire, there was a never-ending debate as to which jersey should the Lakers retire. To end this dispute, Lakers decided to retire both number 8 and number 24, a well-deserved honor for one of the greatest Laker and one of the best to have ever played the game.
#1 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in 1970 where he played the first part of his career. In the five years, he played for the Bucks, Kareem averaged 30.4 points, 15.3 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game.
He won three MVPs during that tenure and also led the Bucks to an NBA title in his second year, sweeping the Bullets in the finals and losing just 2 games en route to the championship. Kareem still remains Bucks' franchise leader in points and rebounds and is number seventh in assists.
Wanting to play in a bigger market, Kareem forced Bucks' hand to traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers where he played for the remainder of his career. Paired alongside another NBA Legend in Magic Johnson, the two formed one of the greatest dynamic duos in the history of this league.
Their chemistry helped build the Showtime Lakers which led to Kareem winning five more championships and three more MVPs. He is first in blocks, second in rebounding, third in scoring, and sixth in assists in Lakers history.
Kareem is widely recognized as one of the greatest players to have ever played the game. He was an unstoppable offensive force during his era with undoubtedly the most unstoppable shot in NBA History. For his contribution to both these franchises, Kareem earned the right to get his number 33 jersey retired by both these teams.
Guess the Lakers players!
