What’s with the jersey number you might wonder, and why do players hold on to superstition? Superstition with numbers comes with any game, and you can’t leave basketball players far behind in this. The power of numbers is not known, but is somehow limitless. In the glamorous sport of basketball, referees, coaches, players, fans etc are all superstitious about jersey numbers. Infact, in most cases the player’s jersey numbers have become synonymous with the player’s themselves.

Although the NBA has never mandated the number ruling game like how it is outside the organization, it is primarily used to associate the player with the scoring tables. However, most players are superstitious about particular numbers, for instance they probably would have played their best games with a certain number and therefore make it a number through which they are associated with.

There have been several basketball athletes who have chosen certain numbers because they have been superstitious about them. Some of them even pick up numbers purely because of religious reasons. Not many know that some players find the task of picking up a jersey number very daunting, especially if they are arriving into a new team, since their preferred number could already be in use by someone else there. There have been several deals that have been broken and negotiations terminated because of the unavailability of a particular jersey number.

Numbers are important for athletes and fans recognize their favorite players through numbers. Dwayne Wade carries the No. 3 jersey on his back and it is synonymous with his life. He is superstitious about this number and has picked it because he is a staunch Christian and believes in the Holy Trinity. He even dribbles the ball thrice before a free throw. Let’s look at his No. 3 fixation. He joined the Miami Heat in 2003, led the Marquette to the ’03 Final Four with a Triple-double, and won the NBA championships and Finals MVP honors when he was in his third season. His score is the third highest with an average of 34.7 ppg, he is also considered to be a 3-time NBA All-Star.

Mark Krebs, the UK guard, had to say this about his fixation on superstition with the number 12, “You get attached to your number, you really do!” Mark gives a surreal explanation to his superstition with the number. Ever since he played in his high school days at Newport Central Catholic, the number 12 has been his favorite jersey. He goes on to give a viable explanation which is surely why most basketball players have a particular jersey number, “It’s hard to explain, but if you have to wear a different one, something doesn’t feel right.”

Even Michael Jordan who is a legendary icon in the basketball arena was well known as he always wore the no. 23 jersey. It its a coincidence that his dad was murdered on July 23, 1993. Tim Duncan is fixed on to the number 21 as his jersey number. The number is a tribute to his brother-in-law who taught him to play the game when he was only 14.

What is your jersey number and why did you choose it? Let me know.

Picture credit: cameronparkins • Creative Commons Attribution