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Los Angeles Lakers
Boston Celtics
When late Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Fame shooting guard Kobe Bryant changed his jersey number from eight to 24 during the 2006-07 season, he explained it at the time as "growth" from his prior digits.
"Then 24 is a growth from [No. 8]," Bryant once said. "Physical attributes aren't there the way they used to be, but the maturity level is greater. Marriage, kids. Start having a broader perspective being one of the older guys on the team now, as opposed to being the youngest. Things evolve."
Now, his friend and on-court nemesis Kevin Garnett, reveals that there was another reason behind Bryant's change.
"People don't even know [what] the 24 stands for," Garnett said. "People don't even understand that that was a sign to everybody that he was a step above 23 [Michael Jordan's jersey number], if y'all even got that."
"That's why he went 24, that was a shot at Mike, straight up, like, I'm better than you. It really stood on it. And if you look at every goal or every record that Mike Jordan has had, Kobe chased it."
Garnett's star-studded Boston Celtics club squared off against Bryant's Lakers in two NBA Finals, 2008 and 2010, winning the first.
Bryant did not reach MJ's title, MVP or Finals MVP tallies, but thanks to his 20-year career (five more than Jordan), the Black Mamba did surpass Air Jordan in terms of total points scored and All-Star appearances.
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