Alex Caruso switched numbers when he left the Lakers for the Bulls, and he considered changing his number for the second year in a row.
Caruso wore No. 4 when he played in Los Angeles, and wore No. 6 in Chicago last season. He told reporters that he wanted to honor the late Bill Russell, who died in July, by changing his jersey number.
However, because the Bulls wing ranked top 75 in jersey sales, the league told him that he couldn’t change his number again. His jersey was simply too popular to make the change worth it for those who bought his uniform.
Alex Caruso said he did give some thought to changing No. 6 in honor of Bill Russell but was told he couldn't because his jersey is in top 75 for jersey sales. All teams are wearing No. 6 patches on uniforms. Said he would revisit decision next season.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) September 26, 2022
The Bulls ranked fourth-best in jersey sales for the second half of last season, per the NBA. Caruso didn’t crack the top 15, though that isn’t too shocking as the other players are superstars.
The league announced plans to retire Russell’s jersey league-wide, though players like Caruso and James who currently wear No. 6 will be allowed to keep their number if they choose.
All players in the NBA will wear a No. 6 patch on their uniforms next season. Caruso will be the last player in franchise history to wear No. 6 for the Bulls.
The best takes and the sharpest bets on all the hoops storylines you need to know. Sign up for our Layup Lines newsletter, hitting your inbox on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f5k5x3v4hcz7e10g image=https://ftw.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
[lawrence-related id=1237372]
[listicle id=1938707]