Last Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers organization announced that the debate between which number the organization would retire for Lakers’ legend Kobe Bryant ended in a stalemate. In typical Mamba fashion, the franchise announced that it would go forward with retiring both numbers in mid-December during a matchup between the Lakers and the Golden State Warriors.

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At the end of the 2016-2017 season, the NBA said goodbye to one of its most iconic individuals when Kobe Bryant officially retired from professional basketball. The world had the chance to bear witness to the Kobe’s greatness in his final game as a Laker, where he dropped 60 of the Lakers' 101 points, shooting nearly 50% on the Utah Jazz. He also walked away with four assists, four rebounds, a steal, and a block, showcasing his diversity all over the court. Although the Lakers team in the last few seasons have been lackluster at best compared to the previously known “Showtime Lakers”, Kobe was always able to show a sliver of that atmosphere throughout the latter portion of his career, and also as he dragged the Lakers across the finish line in his last professional performance. With Kobe out of the league, and the Western Conference feeling bittersweet about his departure, a real dilemma was presented to the Lakers organization, which Kobe Bryant number do they retire, 8 or 24?

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Those who follow professional basketball know well enough that during the 2005-2006 season Kobe changed his number from 8 to 24. During his middle school and high school basketball career, Kobe wore the numbers 33 and 24. Upon entering the league in 1996, after being drafted by the Hornets and later traded to the Lakers, Kobe had himself a dilemma. The number 33 had been retired by the Lakers and Bucks organizations in honor of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the legendary Hall of Fame center who played twenty seasons in the NBA and won himself a few titles. When Kobe joined the Lakers, the number 24 was already being used by George McCloud, so Kobe was out of luck. Instead of using one of the two numbers he had stuck to since middle school, Kobe went with 8 his rookie season and would continue to wear the number 8 for the next ten seasons. It wasn’t until 2006 that he eventually harkened back to his former years on the hardwood and re-adopted the number 24.

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Now that Kobe has retired, Magic Johnson and the rest of the Lakers board of owners were left with the choice of which number best represented the years and dedication Bryant had given the only team he ever played for in the NBA. Only one answer seemed to work, both numbers. While some players such as Jabbar have their numbers retired for two different franchises, Kobe is the first individual to have two of his numbers retired by the same organization, setting the bar that much higher for those who follow in his footsteps, such as Lonzo Ball.

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Since the announcement was made, it seems that the Lakers found a way to make both sides happy by going ahead and retiring both numbers. However, the franchise is now presented with a second and even more permeant problem, which number do they have immortalized in bronze. Just this past year the Lakers showed how much they appreciated the retired NBA All-Star and Finals Champion Shaquille O’Neal by erecting a bronze statue of him breaking a backboard outside of the Staples Center in Los Angeles, former home of the “Showtime Lakers”. Now, the organization is left with deciding which number they will have carved into Kobe’s back on his statue. From a public relations standpoint, the announcement quelled those armed with critical observations as to which number should be hoisted into the rafters above the court, but that only bought them a little more time before they make this even more important announcement. It’s much easier to rewrite a banner than it is to remold a bronze statue, making this issue a very important one for Lakers’ fans.