Statistical comparison between Kobe Bryant’s performances in iconic No 8 vs No 24 jersey

Kobe Bryant had two Hall of Fame careers

Making it to the Hall of Fame is a special achievement and while Bryant managed to do it, he could have had another one based on how elite he was in both his iconic numbers.

The five-time champion wore No 8 for the first ten years of his career, but switched to No 24 in 2006. Both numbers have been retired by the Lakers in his honor.

He scored over 16,000 points donning both those numbers and also won multiple championships with them.

Bryant spent the last few years of his career with injury problems, which led to him playing fewer games as a No. 24.

As far as achievements are concerned, Bryant won a MVP award in the No. 24 jersey, but the No. 8 jersey saw him score more points, rebounds, steals and blocks.

Because of how special he was in both jerseys, the Lakers decided to hang both of them in the rafters, making him the only NBA player to achieve this feat.

Bryant gravitated more toward No 24

Bryant came into the Lakers straight from high school, but he had a lot of talent around him.

For the first few years of his career, Bryant had Shaquille O’Neal to lead the way for him.

But when he switched to No 24, the Black Mamba was the face of the Lakers.

When asked during his jersey retirement about which of the two numbers did he prefer, Bryant said: “It’s really really tough for me, I think 24 was more challenging, I tend to gravitate to things that are harder to do.

“And physically for me it was harder to get up night in and night out, it’s a grind. Taking on the Boston Celtics, having a bone fragment in my foot during that series, broken finger and muscle through that back half of the career, some of the toughest stretches of basketball ever.

“If you force me to pick one, I’ll probably go with 24 because of that.”