An honor that is strictly reserved for all-time greats, Russell joins Jackie Robinson (No. 42) and Wayne Gretzky (No. 99) as the only players in United States professional sports history to have their jersey numbers retired across an entire league.
MORE: How Bill Russell revolutionized defense
However, even though no new players can wear the No. 6, players who currently don the jersey number — most notably, LeBron James — will be “grandfathered in” and can continue to wear that number if they choose.
Which current NBA players wear the No. 6? We have the complete list below.
Bill Russell jersey retirement: Which current NBA players wear the No. 6?
James is the most notable player who currently wears the No. 6.
While these players can all continue to wear Russell’s jersey number in his honor if they choose, don’t be surprised to see some players change their number heading into this season.
For example, when the great Kobe Bryant passed away, several players changed their jersey numbers from No. 8 or No. 24 to a different number.
Below, you can find the full list of players who wore No. 6 last season.
