Utah Jazz rookie guard Miye Oni will reportedly change his uniform number in honor of the late Kobe Bryant, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
The second-round pick currently wears No. 24 with the Jazz but will change it to No. 81, which will pay tribute to Bryant’s 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in 2006. The No. 81 also coincides with the Los Angeles area code of 818.
Oni joins the growing number of players around the NBA currently wearing No. 8 or No. 24 to change out of respect for Bryant. In addition to Oni, Spencer Dinwiddie, Terrence Ross and Markieff Morris are among those players to switch.
Sources: Utah Jazz rookie Miye Oni — a Los Angeles native — is changing his uniform number from No. 24 to No. 81 in honor of the late Kobe Bryant, representing Bryant's historic 81-point game in 2006 and LA area code 818.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 30, 2020
Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, were among the nine individuals killed in a helicopter crash in the Los Angeles suburb of Calabasas on Sunday morning. Several current and former NBA players have honored Bryant in the days since his passing while each team has held a moment of silence for him.
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