A basketball on the free throw line of an empty arena with plain banners hanging from the rafters

NBA Jersey Numbers: Why 6 Is Retired, Jordan's 23 and the Rules

NBA jersey numbers have almost no rules attached to them. The league's official playing rules only require a number on the front and back of every jersey, in a color that contrasts with the shirt and at a minimum size, and they tie no number to any position. The one number no new player can take is No. 6, retired across the whole league in 2022 in honor of Bill Russell.

That freedom is why NBA numbers carry so much personal meaning. Michael Jordan picked 23 because of his older brother, wore 12 for one night because someone stole his jersey, and came back from baseball in 45. Here is how NBA numbers work, the stories behind the famous ones, and how retirements are handled.

What are the NBA jersey number rules?

Rule No. 3, Section VI of the Official 2025-26 NBA Playing Rules, the latest edition the league has published, covers uniforms in three short points:

Requirement What the rule says
Where the number goes Front and back of the jersey
Color Must contrast with the color of the shirt
Minimum size At least ¾ inch wide, 4 inches tall on the front and 6 inches tall on the back
Name Surname on the back in letters at least 2½ inches tall
Home and away Home team in light jerseys, visitors in dark, unless otherwise approved

That is the entire rule. There is no position system like the NFL's, where the number ranges depend on where you line up (see our guide to NFL jersey number rules). A center can wear 1 and a point guard can wear 55.

What numbers can NBA players wear?

Numbers worn in the NBA include everything from 0 and 00 to 99, and both extremes hang in the rafters: the Boston Celtics retired Robert Parish's No. 00 (NBA.com) and the Lakers retired George Mikan's No. 99 in 2022 (NBA.com). Zero is common among current stars; Jayson Tatum wears No. 0 for Boston, per his NBA.com player page.

You will see claims online that certain numbers are banned. Nothing in the NBA's published playing rules bans a specific number, and the only number the league has removed for every team is 6.

Why is No. 6 retired across the NBA?

On Aug. 11, 2022, the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association announced that Bill Russell's No. 6 would be permanently retired throughout the league, making him the first player to have his number retired across the NBA (NBA.com). Russell had died on July 31, 2022, at age 88 (ESPN).

"Permanently retiring his No. 6 across every NBA team ensures that Bill's transcendent career will always be recognized," Commissioner Adam Silver said. Russell won 11 championships and five MVP awards with the Celtics, who had already retired his number (NBA.com).

Players who were already wearing No. 6 in 2022, such as LeBron James, were allowed to keep it, but the number cannot be issued to anyone new (ESPN). During the 2022-23 season every player wore a commemorative patch on the right shoulder, and every court carried a clover-shaped No. 6 logo near the scorer's table.

Why did Michael Jordan wear 23?

Jordan wore 23 because of his older brother Larry, who wore 45 on their high school team in Wilmington, North Carolina. Michael took roughly half of it: half of 45 is 22½, which he rounded up to 23, as he explained in his 1998 book For the Love of the Game (247Sports). He kept 23 at North Carolina and with the Bulls, who retired it at a United Center ceremony on Nov. 1, 1994 (UPI).

Michael Jordan's numbers: 23, 12 and 45

Jordan is the rare star with three NBA numbers, and each one has a story.

Number When Why
23 His Bulls career from 1984, and again from May 1995 Roughly half of brother Larry's 45
12 One game, Feb. 14, 1990, at Orlando His No. 23 jersey was stolen before the game
45 March 1995 until Game 2 of the 1995 East semifinals A "new beginning" after his father's death

No. 12. On Valentine's Day 1990 in Orlando, Jordan's No. 23 jersey disappeared from the visitors' locker room. He played in a nameless No. 12 and scored 49 points on 21 of 43 shooting, though the Bulls lost 135 to 129 in overtime. The jersey turned up days later in the locker room's ceiling tiles (Sports Illustrated).

No. 45. Jordan came back from baseball on March 19, 1995, wearing 45 (CBS Sports). "When I came back, I didn't want to play in the last number that my father had seen me wear," he wrote (247Sports). His father, James Jordan, had died in 1993.

Back to 23. After Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals, Orlando's Nick Anderson said, "No. 45 doesn't explode like No. 23 used to" (ESPN). Jordan wore 23 in Game 2 without telling the league. The NBA fined the Bulls $25,000 for that game and $25,000 for each further game he wore it, $100,000 in total, according to a 1995 wire report.

Why did the Miami Heat retire No. 23?

The Heat retired No. 23 in April 2003 to honor Michael Jordan, even though he never played for Miami. Team president Pat Riley did it as a tribute to what Jordan had done for the game, and Jordan became the first player to have his number retired by a franchise he never played for (Sports Illustrated).

How do NBA retired numbers work?

Outside of Russell's 6, retiring a number is a team decision, and teams use it very differently. A few examples:

Team Retired numbers of note
Boston Celtics 24 retired numbers as of October 2024, including Russell's 6 and Parish's 00 (NBA.com)
Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant's 8 and 24 both retired, plus Mikan's 99 (NBA.com)
Chicago Bulls Jordan's 23, retired Nov. 1, 1994 (UPI)
Miami Heat Jordan's 23, retired in 2003 without him ever playing for Miami

Kobe Bryant is the only Laker with two retired numbers. For how other sports treat the same idea, see soccer jersey numbers by position, where squad numbers and retirements follow very different habits.

Shop NBA jerseys

If Jordan's 23 is the number you grew up with, our NBA page collects basketball jerseys in one place, including the Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan jersey and the San Antonio Spurs Tim Duncan jersey.

Frequently asked questions

What are the rules for NBA jersey numbers?

The NBA's playing rules only require a number on the front and back of each jersey, in a contrasting color, at least 4 inches tall on the front and 6 inches on the back. Players also need a surname on the back. No number is tied to a position, and the only number no new player can take is 6.

Why is No. 6 retired in the NBA?

The NBA and the players' association retired No. 6 across the league on Aug. 11, 2022, to honor Bill Russell, who died on July 31, 2022. Russell won 11 championships and five MVP awards with Boston. Players already wearing 6 kept it, but no new player can be issued the number.

Why did Michael Jordan wear 23?

His older brother Larry wore 45 on their high school team, so Michael took roughly half of it. Half of 45 is 22½, which he rounded up to 23. He kept the number at North Carolina and with the Chicago Bulls, who retired it on Nov. 1, 1994, before his comeback.

Why did Michael Jordan wear 45 and 12?

Jordan wore 45 when he returned from baseball in March 1995 because he did not want to play in the last number his late father saw him wear. He wore 12 for one game, on Feb. 14, 1990, in Orlando, after his No. 23 jersey was stolen from the visitors' locker room.

Can NBA players wear 0 or 00?

Yes. Zero and double zero are both allowed and both have history. Robert Parish's No. 00 is retired by the Boston Celtics, and Jayson Tatum currently wears No. 0 for Boston. At the other end, the Lakers retired George Mikan's No. 99 in 2022, and no rule stops a player from picking a single digit or a double zero.

Sources

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