Who Wears Number Three in the NBA?

It’s a question that has been asked throughout the years, and one that we will answer definitively – who wears number three in the NBA?

Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving, who wears number three, is one of the most popular players in the NBA. He was born on March 23, 1992, in Melbourne, Australia. Kyrie is 6 feet 3 inches tall and plays the point guard position. He is currently a member of the Boston Celtics.

Background

Kyrie Andrew Irving (/ˈkaɪri/; born March 23, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named the Rookie of the Year after being selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. A six-time NBA All-Star, Irving was named the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2014 after scoring 15 points in 14 minutes. He has also been selected to four All-NBA Teams, including two All-NBA First Teams.

Born in Melbourne, Australia, Irving grew up in West Orange, New Jersey and played college basketball for Duke University before being drafted by Cleveland. He won an NBA championship with the Cavaliers in 2016. In 2017, he requested a trade from Cleveland and was sent to Boston in a deal that sent Isaiah Thomas to Cleveland. With Irving on their team, the Celtics made five consecutive trips to the Eastern Conference Finals between 2017 and 2021. In 2020, he was traded to Brooklyn as part of a four-team deal that sent James Harden to Brooklyn as well.

Why he wears number three

Irving has stated that he wears the number because of its spiritual significance. In numerology, the number three is associated with creativity, communication and expression.

Some of Irving’s career highlights include being named Rookie of the Year in 2012, All-Star Game MVP in 2014, and NBA Champion in 2016. He has also represented Team USA in the FIBA World Cup and the Olympics.

Dwyane Wade

When you think of the Miami Heat, the first player that probably comes to mind is Dwyane Wade. Wade has been with the team for his entire career, and is one of the most popular players in the NBA. He is a three-time NBA champion, and was named the NBA Finals MVP in 2006. Wade also was selected to 12 All-Star teams and was named the NBA All-Star Game MVP in 2010.

Background

Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. (/dweɪn/ dwayn; born January 17, 1982) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A 13-time NBA All-Star, Wade is a eight-time All-NBA Team member, and a three-time NBA All-Defensive Team member. He is the Heat’s all-time leading scorer, shot blocker and steals leader. His career achievements include a Finals MVP Award in 2006, becoming one of only four players in NBA history to amass at least 2,000 points, 600 assists and 600 rebounds in their first 10 seasons and being named the 2006 Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated.

Wade played college basketball for the Marquette University Golden Eagles, where he was named Conference USA Player of the Year and led his team to an Elite Eight appearance in 2003. He was drafted fifth overall in 2003 by the Miami Heat where he was named to the All-Rookie team and averaged 16.2 points per game his rookie season. In 2004, he led the Heat to their first NBA Championship in franchise history and was awarded the Finals MVP Award.[4] Wade went on to win back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013 as well as becoming one of only four players in NBA history to win three consecutive finals MVP awards.[5] His play style has been compared to other shooting guards such as Clyde Drexler,[6][7] Michael Jordan,[8] Jerry West,[7][9] Earl Monroe,[7] Dwyane Wade has also been nicknamed Flash or D-Wade.[10]

Born oin Chicago, Illinois,[11][12] Wade studied at Harold L. Richards High School in Oak Lawn.[13][14] In his senior year he led his team to a 27–0 record while averaging 25 points per game.[15][16][17] He was recruited by Marquette University.[18] At Marquette he played point guard[19][20] while studing criminology[21] and averaging 17 points over two years.[22][23], before being drafted fifth overall pick by the Miami Heat in 2003

Why he wears number three

Dwyane Wade chose the number 3 because it was his lucky number growing up. He has worn it throughout his high school and college career, and even when he was drafted by the Miami Heat in 2003.

The number 3 has a lot of significance to Wade. It is the day of the month his mother was born, it is also the number of his older brother who died at an early age. In addition, Wade’s daughter also wears the number 3 in support of her father.

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant, who wore number 24 for the first 10 years of his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers, switched to number 8 when he was drafted in 1996. Kobe’s decision to wear number 8 was based on the fact that it was the number he wore when he played soccer as a child in Italy. Kobe Bryant’s number change to 24 when he returned to the Lakers in 2007.

Background

Kobe Bean Bryant (/ˈkoʊbi/; born August 23, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He played his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He entered the NBA directly from high school and won five NBA championships with the Lakers. Bryant is an 18-time All-Star, 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and 12-time member of the All-Defensive team. He led the NBA in scoring during two seasons, and ranks third on both the league’s all-time regular season scoring and all-time postseason scoring lists. He holds the NBA record for the most seasons playing with one franchise for an entire career. At 34 years and 104 days of age, Bryant became the youngest player in league history to reach 30,000 career points. He is also the first guard in NBA history to play at least 20 seasons.

Bryant is regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. He was praised for his work ethic, explosiveness, shooting, and tenacious defense by both teammates and opponents alike.”

Why he wears number three

Kobe Bean Bryant was born on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The youngest of three children of former NBA player Joe Bryant and Pam Bryant, he is also the nephew of John “Chubby” Cox. He was given his middle name by his parents after the famous beef of Kobe, Japan, which they saw on a restaurant menu. Bryant’s father played professional basketball in Europe and the United States and was coach of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks from 1996 to 1998. Kobe’s older sister Sharia and younger brother Shaya attended high school in the Philly area with Kobe while their parents were away playing basketball.

Bryant started out wearing number eight when he first joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996 but switched to number twenty-four in 2006 following Shaquille O’Neal’s departure from the team. In 2008, with O’Neal back on the Lakers, Bryant once again wore number eight. After O’Neal was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2009, Bryant chose to wear number twenty-four full-time once again.

When asked about his decision to change his number from eight to twenty-four, Kobe said: “I just wanted a fresh start. A new start.” It seems that he wanted to make a statement with his new number and show everyone that he was now the leader of the team. It is also worth noting that twenty-four is two times twelve, which is significant because Kobe wears two wristbands on his shooting arm (one over each of his tattoos) and he has two championship rings from when he won back-to-back titles with Shaq in 2000 and 2001.