Looking at sports history and reminiscing about legendary players from different eras is a fun pastime for most sports fans. These great players kindle fond memories. The attraction of the great ones to the fans may come in various avenues; their statistics, what they did in big moments, individual awards, or how they led their team to a title.
We connect to these players on so many levels, but a common thread is to remember them by jersey number. Babe Ruth’s number 3, Wayne Gretzky’s 99, Jordan’s 23, or a Walter Payton 34 jersey are all iconic and fun to remember.
SHN Project: Best Team By Jersey Number
Our Sports History Network team would like to solicit your help in putting a fun twist on your sports memories by kicking off an endeavor to field the best pro basketball teams by jersey number. That team should consist of a Point Guard (PG), Shooting Guard (SG), Center (C ), Small Forward (PF), and Strong Forward (SF).
If a player is listed as playing that position in their career, they become eligible to play it on our team. Additional criteria are that they had to play in the BAA, NBL, NBA, or ABA and wear the jersey number for at least a part of 5 different seasons. Our team of SHN experts will provide some information, personal preferences, and other tidbits about the players of each to help you make an informed decision in the poll we will provide. After the deadline is reached, we will post the results on JerseyDispatch.com.
In this segment, we have the forwards that wore Number 1. Here is a look at the candidates that meet our qualifying criteria for each position ( 5 years with the Number in the NBA, ABA, and/or BAA) to aid you in deciding to vote in our poll.
NBA Forward Candidates (Jersey #1)
Trevor Ariza: filled a Forward position with this jersey identification number for the Orlando Magic (2006-08), Houston Rockets (2010-18), New Orleans Hornets (2011-12), and the Washington Wizards (2013-14 and 2019) for ten seasons as he drained 11497 points, handed out 2352 assists, grabbed 5274 rebounds, and blocked 349 opponent’s shots.
Tracy McGrady: played the position of Forward and Guard of wearing number 1 on the Toronto Raptors (1998-2000), Orlando Magic (2001-04), Houston Rockets (2005-09), Detroit Pistons (2011), Atlanta Hawks (2012), and the San Antonio Spurs (2013) for ten seasons as he scored 18381 points, dished out 4161 assists, crashed the boards for 5276 rebounds, and blocked 807 shots in his career. Dan Neumann, co-host of the Sports History Network podcast Hello Old Sports, adds this about McGrady: “A two-time scoring champion and seven-time All-Star, McGrady’s best years came with Houston, where he partnered with Yao Ming to turn the Rockets into perennial contenders.”
Dorell Wright: played the position(s) of Forward and Guard wearing the number on the Miami Heat (2005-10), Golden State Warriors (2011-12), and with the Portland Trail Blazers (2014-15) for eight full seasons as he scored 4597 points, dished out 850 assists, crashed the boards for 2093 rebounds, and blocked 271 shots during his NBA time.
Kyle Anderson: played the position of Small Forward and Guard wearing the number on the San Antonio Spurs (2015-18) and the Memphis Grizzlies (2019-22) for seven seasons as he scored 3108 points, dished out 1065 assists, crashed the boards for 2022 rebounds, and blocked 271 shots cumulative over his stay in the NBA.
Nick Young: played the Guard and Small Forward positions donning the number on the Washington Wizards (2008-12) for 5 Pro Basketball seasons as he scored 8194 points, helped out with 687 assists, found the ball for 1427 rebounds, and blocked 135 opposing teams’ shots.
Josh Childress: filled Guard and Forward positions with this jersey identification number of Number 1 with the Atlanta Hawks (2005-08) and Phoenix Suns (2011-12) for 5 NBA seasons as he drained 3548 points, handed out 609 assists, grabbed 1850 rebounds, and blocked 184 opponent’s shots in his career.
Amar’e Stoudemire: was a Forward and Center with this jersey number for the Phoenix Suns (2007-10), New York Knicks (2011-15), and Dallas Mavericks (2015) for eight seasons as he registered 15994 points, passed for 1050 assists, hauled down 6632 rebounds, and swatted away 1054 shots. Dan Neumann, co-host of the Sports History Network podcast Hello Old Sports, adds this about Amare Stoudemire: “Hampered by back knee problems later in his career, Stoudemire nonetheless made 6 All-Star teams. His best years were probably with the exciting “7 Seconds or Less” Suns of the 00’S.”
Buck Johnson: was a Forward donning the number 1 on the Houston Rockets (1987-92) for six Pro Basketball seasons as he scored 4617 points, helped out with 856 assists, found the ball for 1760 rebounds, and blocked 252 opposing teams’ shots.
Chris Bosh: played the position of Forward and Center, donning the number on the Miami Heat (2011-16) for six Pro Basketball seasons as he scored 17189 points, helped out with 1795 assists, found the ball for 7592 rebounds, and blocked 932 opposing teams’ shots.
Troy Murphy: filled a Forward and Center position with this jersey identification number 1 on the Golden State Warriors (2002- 07) for six seasons as he drained 7860 points, handed out 1088 assists, grabbed 5708 rebounds, and blocked 294 opponent’s shots.