Table of Contents
13th Most Popular Sports Number
Famous athletes are renowned for their achievements as much as the jerseys they wore. The jersey has the players’ names and the number that represents the player written on it, making them the most popular number in sports.
The number worn by some of the most memorable athletes in sports history is remembered by fans.
Similarly, eager young athletes wear the jersey number of their idols.
However, players are permitted to wear more than one number during their careers.
The players are identified with the number for which they are most well-known among their fans at the time.
13. Wilt Chamberlain (13)
Chamberlain played for the Harlem Globetrotters, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, and Philadelphia 76ers during his career.
He amassed some of his career’s most spectacular wins and honors.
After his professional career, his number 13 was retired by all four organizations.
Chamberlain was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978.
Making new records and breaking old ones are equally exhausting tasks.
Derek Jeter (#12) (2)
As the most popular number in sports, we feature former professional baseball star Derek Jeter and his number 2 jersey on our number 12. He played his whole 20-year MLB career with the New York Yankees.
Jeter originally wanted to wear the number 13, but after making his MLB debut in 1995, he settled for the number 2.
He is widely regarded as one of the key factors to the Yankees’ success in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
For his exceptional play, he was dubbed “Captain Clutch” and “Mr. November.”
Jeter is one of the greatest players to ever wear the number 2.
Jeter announced his retirement from professional baseball after the 2014 season.
Later that year, the New York Yankees retired his No. 2 uniform in his honor.
Jeter was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2020.
Russell, Bill (6)
Bill Russell was a professional basketball player who played from 1956 until 1969.
The athlete spent his entire career with the Boston Celtics, where he wore number 3.
In addition to playing in the NBA, he captained the United States national basketball team to a gold medal in the 1956 Summer Olympics. In 1975.
Russell is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
LeBron James wore the number 6 jersey for the Miami Heat for a few seasons.
Russell, on the other hand, wore the number throughout the whole of his playing career.
As a result, when NBA fans think of the number 6, they think of Bill Russell.
His number was retired by both the Boston Celtics and the San Francisco Dons.
Cristiano Ronaldo (10) (7)
Cristiano Ronaldo does not require an introduction.
He is recognized as one of the greatest players of all time, and his reputation precedes him.
In sports, the number 7 has become synonymous with Cristiano Ronaldo.
So much so that the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has earned the moniker “C7.”
Ronaldo is one of only a handful of players to have appeared in over 1,100 professional games.
He currently boasts some of the best records in soccer history, not to mention numerous awards.
David Beckham, another outstanding soccer player, also wore the number 7.
Beckham wore the number when playing for Manchester United, but switched to number 23 when he joined Real Madrid.
Cristiano Ronaldo is currently one of soccer’s most recognizable players.
He is also one of the world’s highest-paid and most influential athletes.
The number 7 will always be associated with the Portuguese player.
Magic Johnson No. 9 (32)
Former NBA star Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. ranks ninth on the list of the most popular sports numbers.
He is widely regarded as the greatest point guard of all time, and his jersey number 32 is highly known.
Johnson was a member of the United States men’s Olympic basketball team that won the gold medal in 1992.
As a result of this, he was twice inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
He played his whole NBA career wearing the number 32.
His career highlights include being a twelve-time NBA All-Star, three-time NBA Most Valuable Player, nine-time All-NBA First Team selection, and a five-time NBA champion.
Johnson’s career was unfortunately cut short after getting HIV.
Following his retirement from the NBA, the Lakers retired the number 32 jersey in his honor.
Cal Ripken Jr. (8)
Cal Ripken Jr, a former baseball shortstop and third baseman who was nicknamed “The Iron Man,” is our number 8 of the most popular number in sports.
In the second round of the 1978 MLB draft, he was selected by the Baltimore Orioles.
Ripken made his major league debut in 1981 and played his whole career with the Orioles.
He is regarded as one of the greatest shortstops in baseball history.
Similarly, he owns the record for most home runs hit as a shortstop as well as the MLB record for most consecutive games played (2,632 games).
Throughout his career, he wore the number 8. Following Ripken’s retirement, the Orioles retired his number.
He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.
The United States is central to sports and offers many opportunities for people to participate in sports.
Discover the top 12 most popular sports in America!
Petty, Richard (43)
The next player is known for driving the No. 43 Plymouth/Pontiac rather than his jersey number.
Richard Petty is a former second-generation stock car racing driver known as “The King.”
Petty raced in the previous NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series from 1958 through 1992.
(now NASCAR Cup Series.) He was one of NASCAR’s early stars.
Petty is one of the most well-known and accomplished drivers in the history of motorsports.
Similarly, he was the only driver in Cup Series history to win the championship seven times.
He has raced in over 2,000 NASCAR Cup Series events, 1,125 of which he was behind the wheel of the No. 43.
Among the other drivers that used the No. 43, Petty was the only one who dominated the race.
He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in its inaugural class in 2010.
Brett Favre, No. 6 (4)
Brett Favre takes the sixth spot on our list of the most popular sports numbers.
The former quarterback played in the NFL for 20 years.
Favre made his NFL debut with the Atlanta Falcons in 1991.
He was picked by the Falcons in the second round of the 1991 NFL draft, and he wore the number 4 jersey.
He spent the majority of his 20-year career with the Green Bay Packers.
He was also a member of the New York Jets and the Minnesota Vikings.
Throughout his career, Fave wore the number 4 jersey.
Similarly, he has a long list of professional highlights and honors.
In his retirement, he was the NFL leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and quarterback victories.
Following Favre’s retirement, the Packers retired number 4. In 2016, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Wayne Gretzky, No. 5 (99)
The number 99 is one of the most well-known in hockey history.
Wayne Gretzky, a former Canadian ice hockey player, is associated with the number.
Gretzky spent 20 seasons in the NHL before becoming a head coach.
The guy is known as “The Great One” since he is one of the best hockey players of all time.
Throughout his career, Gretzky set numerous records.
He is the all-time leading goal, assist, and point scorer in NHL history.
He retired in 1999 with an impressive 61 NHL records.
Gretzky’s number 99 is so well-known that there is a trophy created after he called the “Wayne Gretzky 99 Award.”
After retirement, he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
The Great One’s number 99 was retired by the league in 2000.
Peyton Manning is number four (18)
The legendary number 18 of American football quarterback Peyton Manning is our fourth most renowned number in sports.
He is regarded as one of the best quarterbacks of all time.
He was known as “The Sheriff” during his 18-year NFL career.
He made his NFL debut in 1998 with the Indianapolis Colts.
He was a member of the Denver Broncos from 2012 to 2015.
Manning wore the number 18 throughout his career.
He was, however, a member of the Tennessee Volunteers football team, where he wore the number 16 jersey.
Manning announced his retirement from the NFL after the Broncos won Super Bowl 50.
The Colts retired his number in his honor, while the Broncos honored it.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
Babe Ruth (3)
Babe Ruth is regarded as a baseball legend.
Every baseball fan in the world knows his number three.
He is widely regarded as the best baseball player of all time.
Ruth, who was born on February 6, 1895, made his Major League Baseball debut in 1914 with the Boston Red Sox.
He is known as “The Sultan of Swat” and is considered one of America’s greatest sports heroes.
Ruth also played for the New York Yankees and the Boston Braves throughout his professional career.
His MLB career lasted 22 years, and he mostly played for the Yankees.
Ruth’s legendary number 3 was retired by the Yankees following his retirement.
He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.
On August 16, 1948, he died at the age of 53.
Pakistan is a sports-crazy country.
The government regularly participates in a variety of sporting events.
Discover the 12 most popular sports in Pakistan!
Jackie Robinson, No. 2 (42)
Jackie Robinson, the first African American player, has the number 42 as the second most popular number in sports.
The player is a great character and a trailblazer in the sport who broke down the color barrier.
Robinson made his Major League Baseball debut in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers.
The signing of him by the Dodgers heralded the end of baseball’s racial segregation.
As a result, his number 42 has enormous historical significance in baseball.
His MLB career lasted ten years. Robinson was an All-Star, World Series winner, and six-time National League Most Valuable Player.
He was the first African-American player to get the accolade.
After his retirement, the number 42 was retired by all MLB teams.
It demonstrates that the number 42 represents a piece of baseball history.
In 1962, the legend was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Jackie Robinson died on October 24, 1972, at the age of 53.
Also, read
31 Bill Shankly Quotes you should know, 18 Motivating Joe DiMaggio Quotes, Top 83 Hope Solo Quotes
Jordan, Michael (23)
We’re sure you saw this coming. Former NBA player Michael Jordan’s number 23 is our most renowned number in sports.
He is regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time and a cultural icon.
Jordan was instrumental in popularizing the NBA throughout the world in the 1980s and 1990s.
He made his NBA debut in 1984 with the Chicago Bulls and played in the league for 15 seasons.
Jordan began his career wearing the number 23, but eventually switched to the number 42.
However, the number 23 became associated with him and his persona.
Jordan, the NBA’s face, retired after the 2003 season.
The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat retired his number upon his retirement.
There is no doubt that the number 23 will be remembered as the most iconic in NBA history.
