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Kobe: It'll be 'pretty hard' for future Laker to wear No. 8 or 24

Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Wednesday was Kobe Bryant Day in Los Angeles - the significance coming from the date 8/24 representing the two numbers he wore for the Lakers during his 20-year career.

One of the questions posed since Bryant's retirement is, which number will the Lakers retire and hoist above the Staples Center floor alongside the likes of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, and Wilt Chamberlain?

Asked about it Wednesday, Bryant was his usual honest self.

"(Whichever number it is) it'll be pretty hard for someone else to wear the other," he told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne.

Is he suggesting retiring both? The numbers behind the numbers are quite similar. Bryant wore No. 8 his first 10 seasons, changing to 24 beginning in 2006-07. At the time, he explained it by saying the first part of his career was over. It proved prophetic: When he hung up his sneakers in April, Bryant had played an equal 10 seasons with each digit.

Kobe Bryant GP PTS REB AST FG% NBA titles
No. 8 (1996-2006) 707 23.9 5.1 4.5 45.1 3
No. 24 (2006-16) 639 26.3 5.3 4.9 44.3 2

Bryant did say in 2013 that his preference was to have No. 24 retired. Yet his bluntness would indicate no objection if the Lakers decided to raise both numbers to the rafters.

Because as Bryant knows, banners hang forever.

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