Who wore number 42 in NBA?

Wearing the right number on your jersey is more important than just a fashion statement. It’s an important part of being an NBA player that goes back to the beginning of professional basketball.

James Worthy

James Ager Worthy is an American sports commentator, television host, analyst, and former professional basketball player. Named both as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History and one of its 75 Greatest, “Big Game James” was a seven-time NBA All-Star, three-time NBA champion, and the 1988 NBA Finals MVP with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

A standout college basketball player for the North Carolina Tar Heels, the small forward was a consensus first-team All-American and shared national player of the year honors en route to leading his team to the 1982 NCAA championship. Named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, he was selected by the Lakers with the first overall pick of the 1982 NBA draft.

Elton Brand

Elton Tyron Brand is an American former professional basketball player, also known as the general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing college basketball for Duke, he was selected with the first overall pick in the 1999 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls, and later played for the Philadelphia 76ers, the Los Angeles Clippers, Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks. He was a two-time NBA All Star and an All-NBA Second Team selection in 2006.

Early in his career, Brand established himself as one of the top power forwards of the NBA. He holds career averages of 15.9 points, 8.5 rebounds (3.1 being offensive rebounds) and 1.7 blocks per game in 1,058 career games.

Brand uses his wide body and surprising athleticism for a man his weight in order to out-muscle his opponents. A large wingspan also allows him to be a proficient shot-blocker.

In his first years in the league, he had a few, but effective and powerful moves underneath the basket which already made him an effective post player. During the off-season prior to the 2005–06 season, he trimmed his weight to increase his quickness and added more finesse moves underneath the basket so that he could score without having to utilize power all the time. But most importantly, he worked on his shooting range and developed a dependable 18 ft. jumper. As a result, he raised his scoring by 4.7 points in that season.

Kevin Love

Kevin Wesley Love is an American professional basketball player known for playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a multiple-time All-Star and won an NBA championship with the Cavaliers in 2016. He was also a member of the gold medal-winning United States national team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Summer Olympics.

The son of former NBA player Stan Love, Love was a top-ranked prospect out of Lake Oswego High School in Oregon. He played one season of college basketball for the UCLA Bruins and led the team to a Final Four appearance in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Love was named a consensus First Team All-American and was voted player of the year in the Pac-12 Conference. He elected to forgo his remaining three years of college eligibility and entered the 2008 NBA draft. He was taken fifth overall by the Memphis Grizzlies, and was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves on draft night for the third overall selection, O. J. Mayo, in an eight-player deal. During the 2010–11 season, Love established one of the longest streaks for consecutive games recording double figures in points and rebounds since the ABA–NBA merger. He was traded to the Cavaliers in 2014.

Connie Hawkins

Cornelius Lance “Connie” Hawkins was an American professional basketball player.

Connie Hawkins was named to the ABA’s All-Time Team.

Due to knee problems, Hawkins played in the NBA for only seven seasons. He was an All-Star from 1970 to 1973 and was named to the All-NBA First Team in the 1969–70 season. His No. 42 jersey was retired by the Suns.

Despite being unable to play in the NBA when he was in his prime, Hawkins’ performances throughout the ABL, ABA and NBA helped get him get inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992.

Nate Thurmond

Nathaniel Thurmond was an American basketball player who spent the majority of his 14-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Golden State Warriors franchise. He played the center and power forward positions. Thurmond was a seven-time All-Star and the first player in NBA history to record an official quadruple-double. In 1965, he grabbed 42 rebounds in a game. Thurmond was named a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985, one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, and part of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.

Known to fans as “Nate the Great”, Thurmond has had his No. 42 jersey retired by both the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Mark Acres

Mark Richard Acres is an American former professional basketball player who spent most of his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a 6’11”, 220 lb (100 kg) power forward/center.

Acres attended Oral Roberts University, where he played for his father Dick, and was drafted in the second round of the 1985 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks. He was a part of the Orlando Magic’s first year expansion team.

Tony Allen

Anthony Allen, nicknamed “the Grindfather”, is an American former professional basketball player who played for 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a multiple-time member on the NBA All-Defensive Team, including three times on the All-Defensive First Team. Allen won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 2008. He was considered to be one of the best defenders in the league during his career.

Eric Anderson

Eric Walfred Anderson was an American basketball player. He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers and played two seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the New York Knicks.

Anderson signed with the New York Knicks for the 1992–93 NBA season as an undrafted free agent. As the team’s twelfth man, he played only 44 total minutes in sixteen games, and 39 minutes in eleven games the following season before being waived. He received a loud ovation by fans when inserted in the final six minutes of the Knicks’ 114–79 home blowout over the Boston Celtics on February 2, 1994, in which he went scoreless with four personal fouls while the Knicks bench later stood and cheered his drawing an offensive foul. Anderson held NBA career averages of 1.6 points and 1.1 rebounds, and 2-for-2 on three-point field goals. He spent the remainder of his career playing in Europe and with the Fort Wayne Fury of the Continental Basketball Association until retiring in 1998.

Kim Anderson

Keith Kim Anderson is an American former basketball player, also known as the head coach for the Pittsburg State Gorillas. Anderson previously served as the men’s basketball head coach of the Missouri Tigers. He led the Central Missouri Mules to back-to-back MIAA championships and three appearances in the NCAA Division II Final Four in 2007, 2009 and winning the championship in 2014. He led the Mules to the NCAA Men’s Division II Basketball Championship in 2014 by defeating West Liberty 84–77. He played collegiately for the University of Missouri.

Born in Sedalia, Missouri, he was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2nd round (28th pick overall) of the 1977 NBA Draft and by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 7th round (146th pick overall) of the 1978 NBA Draft.

He played for the Trail Blazers (1978–79) in the NBA for 21 games.

He also was a court coach for Team USA during the Pan American Games Team Trials.

On April 28, 2014 it was announced that he would take over the job vacated by Frank Haith at the University of Missouri, his alma mater.

After three seasons of finishing in last place in the Southeastern Conference, Missouri asked him to step down on March 5, 2017.

On March 24, 2017, Anderson was announced as the Pittsburg State men’s basketball coach, returning to the MIAA.

Greg Ballard

Gregory Ballard was an American professional basketball player and NBA assistant coach. A collegiate All-American at Oregon, Ballard averaged 12.4 points and 6.1 rebounds over an eleven season NBA career with the Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors and briefly, the Seattle SuperSonics.

Ballard chose basketball and attended the University of Oregon, where he played in the collegiate level at the forward position. Playing for Coach Dick Harter at Oregon, from 1973–77, Ballard played 115 career games on Oregon teams with the nickname “Kamikaze Kids”, along with teammates Ernie Kent, Stu Jackson and Ron Lee.

In his career at Oregon, Ballard had 1,114 career rebounds, averaging 9.7 rebounds. He averaged 15.9 points, with his 1,829 total career points.

Ballard set Oregon’s single-game scoring record of 43 points, in a National Invitation Tournament game against Oral Roberts University on March 9, 1977.

Stephen Bardo

Stephen Dean Bardo is an American retired professional basketball player who played 3 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is also known as a college basketball analyst.

During his standout career at the University of Illinois, 6’5″ Bardo scored 909 points and compiled 495 assists. He was part of the Flyin’ Illini team that qualified for the 1989 NCAA men’s basketball tournament Final Four. That Fighting Illini team gained the moniker “Flyin’ Illini” by Dick Vitale while broadcasting a game during the 1988–89 season. Bardo was named Big Ten defensive player of the year in 1989. Along with Bardo, the other starting members of that team included Nick Anderson, Kendall Gill, Lowell Hamilton, Kenny Battle, and key reserve Marcus Liberty.

Bardo was selected in the 1990 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks, but never played for the team, playing one game (one minute) with the San Antonio Spurs during the 1991–92 NBA season. He also appeared for the Dallas Mavericks and Detroit Pistons, amassing 32 more regular season games, and leaving the National Basketball Association with per-game averages of 2 points, 2 rebounds and one assist.

Bardo also played in France, Italy, Japan, Spain, Venezuela overseas as well as the CBA (Quad City, Wichita Falls, Chicago). He enjoyed a 10-year professional playing career.