Several of the greatest basketball players of all-time have changed their jersey numbers at some point in their career, but only four legends can say they did so in their prime: Michael Jordan (wore number 45 during the second-half of the 1994–95 season, before returning to number 23); Shaquille O’Neal (wore number 32 on the Magic and Heat; number 34 with the Lakers); LeBron James (switched to number 6 in Miami, before going back to number 23 with the Cavs); and Kobe Bryant (swapped number 8 for number 24 heading into the 2006–07 season).
Kobe’s jersey change is the most significant, in that it happened during the crossroads of his career. Number 8 represents young-Kobe, a shot-happy prodigy who transformed into Shaq’s sidekick on three-straight championship teams; Number 24, a polarizing superstar who became the best player alive and the greatest alpha-dog since Michael Jordan. Both versions produced countless episodes of greatness. In order to find out which Kobe was the best Kobe, let’s breakdown the following seven factors.
1. Which Kobe had more swagger?
Number 8 came into the league with an undeniable brashness. As a rookie, Kobe proved to…
