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.
A basketball team is complete if you have a solid big man in the paint who can haul the ball off the boards, slam a few bunnies home, and dominate the middle. Our All-Time Professional Men’s Basketball candidates that wore jersey Number 4 for at least five seasons are here, and we have some good ones for you to consider in the voting. So, pick one of these “monsters of the middle” to vote in the fan poll.
NBA Center Candidates (Jersey #4)
Dolph Schayes dribbled the hardcourts as a Forward and Center with this jersey identification number 4 on the Syracuse Nationals (1950-63) and Philadelphia 76ers (1964) for 14 seasons as he drained 12887 points, handed out 1939 assists, and grabbed 7613 rebounds in his career.
Chris Bosh – Our Canadian podcasting friends Boni Jose and Felix Alvarado of the hit podcast Full Court Press with Boni and Felix share this information on Mr. Bosh, “a.k.a. CB4, who played for 13 seasons (2003-04 to 2015-16) on two teams (Toronto Raptors & Miami Heat). He’s a 2x NBA champion, an 11x All-Star, and a 2021 Hall of Famer who averaged 19.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, and two assists in 893 regular season games. A big man who shot left-handed stretched the floor and was a part of the Miami Heat’s “big three.”
Tony Battie dribbled the hardcourts as a Center/ PowerForward with this jersey identification number the Denver Nuggets (1998), Boston Celtics (2000-04), Cleveland Cavaliers (2004), Orlando Magic (2005-07, 2009), and Philadelphia 76ers (2011-12) for nine seasons as he drained 5082 points, handed out 522 assists, grabbed 4287 rebounds, and blocked 713 opponent’s shots for his career.
Rony Seikaly was a Center identified by the jersey number on the Miami Heat (1989-94), Golden State Warriors (1995-96), and the Orlando Magic (1997-98) for eight seasons as he scored 9991 points, dished out 860 assists, crashed the boards for 6424 in career rebounds, blocked 872 opposing shots, and averaged 14.7 points every game for his career.
Chris Webber – Boni and Felix have this to say about the big man, “a.k.a. C-Webb, who played for 15 seasons (1993-94 to 2007-08) on 5 teams (Golden State Warriors, Washington Bullets/Wizards, Sacramento Kings, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Detroit Pistons). He’s a Rookie of the Year (1994), a 5x All-Star, and a 2021 Hall of Fame inductee who averaged 20.7 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 831 regular season games. In our opinion, his best game was against the Indiana Pacers on January 5, 2001, where he recorded 51 points, 26 rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks on 51% field goal shooting.”
Thanks again to Boni Jose and Felix Alvarado for their outstanding work preserving basketball history and helping us today. Remember to check out their work!
Boni Jose and Felix Alvarado of the hit podcast Full Court Press with Boni and Felix. Make sure you vote, as the results will post on JerseyDispatch.com on Tuesday, February 28. Also, special thanks to references via statsmuse.com, basketball-reference.com, nba.com.