That being said, Cruyff is a legend in the world of soccer and helped make Total Football a reality. Heres how incredible Fedorovs all-around game was. Dan Marino wore 13 and had an amazing career even if he didnt win a Super Bowl. More than 48,000 runners took on the race from Greenwich to The Mall - up . Ovechkin is still an active player who, hopefully, has a few more years left in his career. So did Diego Maradona. Orlando Magic ( 20, 21) Greg Anthony. 84, but both also wore other numbers. So we apologize to two greats of their respective footballs, John Elway and Cristiano Ronaldo. His best year may have been in a different number, but the bulk of his Hall-of-Fame career in Seattle came wearing 96, so hes still the choice here. Ralph Branca - Baseball. His 71 interceptions are third all time in NFL history, and the league wasnt super pass happy for his whole career. So check out the list of athletes who wore 2 and help decide who deserves to rank the highest for wearing this iconic jersey number. Injuries and illness tamped down Lemieuxs numbers a bit, but he still won three Harts and six Art Rosses. Why he's here: The recently retired Hunter earned five All-Star selections and nine Gold Gloves over his 19-year career. Emailed daily. While Lambert, Hams teammate with the Steelers, didnt quite make the cut at 58, Ham is an easy choice at 59. Nobody was as defensively formidable as Robinson in his heyday. And though he wasnt much with the bat early in his career, he did wind up with 580 career stolen bases and walked almost twice as many times as he struck out (1,072 to 589). We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. 12? Bryant had some great years wearing No. Also sorry to NASCAR fans who know that Jeff Gordon drove the 24 car during his sterling career. He played only nine games for the Red Sox and posted a 42 OPS+, but he also had one of the most memorable moments from. (Yes, he pitched too.) To purchase Any Given Number, go to SI.com/anygivennumber. How can you argue with the guy known as Mr. Sandberg made 10 consecutive All-Star teams from 1984-93 and was named the 1984 NL MVP as he helped the Cubs make the playoffs that season for the first time since 1945. Michael Jordan changed the NBA. 70. No other player wore it for than one. Oh, and he won six Super Bowls alongside Bill Belichick. Honorable mentions: Omar Vizquel, Dave Concepcion, Lance Parrish. But when he joined the Giants, that number had obviously been retired in honor of Mays, so Bonds chose the number 25 his father wore while Mays teammate. His numbers may never be beaten. Weve got two Penguins legends sandwiching a largely forgotten NFL guard. For 20 years Duncan was a metronome in the NBA. Why he's here: Quite simply, Hammerin' Hank was one of the greatest players in the history of baseball. Rivers has thrown for almost 400 career touchdowns and has made eight Pro Bowls. NFL and NHL fans have strong associations with the number for some of the most famous names in their sports with players like Russell Wilson and Pierre Pilote. As a hitter, though, he was excellent. Jones, NBA, Wade Boggs, MLB; Rod Woodson, NFL;Herb Adderley, NFL; Billy Williams, MLB, Juan Marichal, MLB; Eddie George, NFL; Vladimir Guerrero, MLB; ScottNiedermayer, NHL; Mike Trout, MLB, Marshall Faulk, NFL; Bert Blyleven, MLB; Darrell Green, NFL, Eric Dickerson, NFL; Satchel Paige, MLB; Rod Carew, MLB; John Smoltz, MLB; Ken Dryden, NHL, Nolan Ryan, MLB; Martin Brodeur, NHL; Terrell Davis, NFL; Stephen Curry, NBA; Maury Wills, MLB; Bernard King, NBA, Greg Maddux, MLB; Reggie Miller, NBA; Fergie Jenkins, MLB; Dave Winfield, MLB; Billy Smith, NHL; Mike Piazza, MLB; Donnie Shell, NFL, Magic Johnson, NBA; Jim Brown, NFL; O.J. Injuries cut his career short, which is the only reason he didnt end up with 500 goals. Magic Johnson? Why he's here: The hard-throwing Yankee has established himself as one of baseball's top relievers over the past two seasons. Orr is the choice at number 4, for far more than the Stanley Cup-winning goal he scored for the Bruins in 1970. Hes only sixth in receiving touchdowns. And while his two Super Bowl wins came with great supporting casts, he provided the signature moment of those wins. Nowitzki changed the NBA. Honorable mentions: Al Kaline, Willie Wilson, Steve Garvey. While Johnson had a couple of seasons wearing other numbers, the Big Unit was the clear choice here. He wore it for two seasons in which he had over 90 points. We all know Aaron was the lon-time home run king, and still ranks second. The Cincinnati Bengals dont have a storied franchise history, but they do have one of the greatest offensive tackles ever to their name. And yet Crosby has done it. This gallery provides a sample of SI's best players to wear numbers 00 to 10. In fact, the iron man offensive lineman played in every game for 14 straight seasons. Return to Top; Players. Hes been forgotten a bit by this point, even though he played on four Super Bowl winners and made the Hall of Fame. Stevie Y played his entire career in Detroit and finished career with 692 goals and 1,063 assists. Michael Jordan. Michael Irvin was also a fine player who wore No. His highlight reel is unparalleled. Why hes here: Robinsons career started with a bang he won the 1956 NL rookie of the year award in his Age 20 season for the Reds and barely ever slowed down. Parish earned those rings by taking on three of the league's. No. Stats: .310 batting average, 260 home runs, 1,311 RBIs, League: NBA Full Site Menu. Nobody has ever rushed for more yards than Smith. Honorable mentions: Joe Morgan, Gene Tenace, Andy Van Slyke. Thats good enough for us. Mathis also had a penchant for punching out balls, as he led the NFL in forced fumbles three times. Parish earned those rings by taking on three of the league's legendary big men in the NBA Finals: Moses Malone in '81, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in '84 and Hakeem Olajuwon in '86. 96 for four seasons. Full Site Menu. He made eight All-Defense teams to go with 10 All-NBA teams. There have been many outstanding athletes to dawn the number 23. By the time LeBron retires, some may consider him the G.O.A.T. Marichal won 191 games and rolled up a 2.57 ERA in 328 games (320 starts) during the 1960s for the Giants. Martinez had a 1.74 ERA in 2000. For a stretch, Hutchinson was probably the best guard in the league. Still, Kuechenberg made six Pro Bowls as a guard for the Dolphins, including on the legendary undefeated Miami squad. The number 2 has become one of the most popular jersey numbers across a wide variety of sports. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Fun fact: Kramer also served as the Green Bay kicker for three seasons. The hype surrounding Crosby before he was drafted was hard to live up to. Why he's here: The 1978 AL Cy Young winner led the AL in wins twice and ERA twice and had his number retired by the Yankees. 29 on occasion. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. 12 when he signed with the rival Yankees as a free agent after the 1992 season, and thats the number he wore the final seven seasons of his Hall of Fame career. Why he's here: No one else in MLB history has worn No. Allen Iverson was a dynamic NBA player. He carried the Milwaukee Bucks to their only NBA title before joining the Lakers. The shortstop is the Yankees' alltime hit leader, the calm and charismatic captain who led his team to five World Series championships. To purchase Any Given Number, go to SI.com/anygivennumber. Why he's here: Gibson was an elite pitcher, and he just barely edges out fellow elite pitcher Pedro Martinez for the top spot due to a longer career. For a more in-depth look at the debate over these picks, along with who was chosen for Nos. He won two MVP awards and finished second four other times he won the AL triple crown in two of those second-place years and his career on-base percentage of .482 is No. 8 and 24. However, he led the American League in ERA twice and won a Cy Young in 1978. Want stats? He would become famous in the 1951 playoffs for surrendering Bobby Thomson's "shot heard round the world" home run, one of the most famous home runs of all-time. 13. Why he's here: Underrated Bobby Abreu is Drysdale's only real competition. From Diana Taurasi at No. One day, though, Cruyff decided to wear 14 and then tried to wear it whenever he could. Before that, though, he had a long, successful career on the field. However, 30 is a goalies number, and we wanted to give the honor to one of the best goalies to ever man the crease. In the News: Aaron Rodgers, Trey Lance, Jordan Love, Brock Purdy, Lamar Jackson, Allen Robinson. He was also the captain when the Wings ended their 40-year Cup drought. If not for that, he might have become the third-ever player to notch 800 goals. > All Players To Wear Number 31. For this number, were including guys who wore 00, like Robert Parish. (Take that, Babe Ruth.) Andy Pettitte was a good pitcher on some great teams, but nobody ever considered him one of the best at his job. He was able to just beat out the wide receiver Steve Smith. Why he's here: The pitcher wore No. To purchase Any Given Number, go to SI.com/anygivennumber. 7 in promotional photos. Mays hit 660 home runs, stole 338 bases and finished in the top six of the NL MVP voting 12 times in a 13-year stretch (he won the award in 1954 and 1965). Sure, he made only two All-Star teams, but in one season he won not just the Vezina but also the Hart. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. Not even Wes Unseld can contend with the big German here. But he also captured the American imagination -- for his grace in the field, for his 56-game hitting streak in 1941, even for his rocky marriage to Marilyn Monroe. Apparently Pittsburgh Penguins history is filled with great players who wear unusual numbers. He finished with a 2.86 regular-season ERA, and in 17 games (15 starts) in the postseason, he posted a 2.61 ERA and helped the Orioles to three World Series titles (the only three in franchise history, it should be noted). Whether as a personal challenge or for charity, runners wore colourful costumes as they ran the 26.2-mile (42km) course. However, Faulk was one of the best receiving backs ever. Teammates back-to-back here. After all, he was named to the NFL All-Pro team for six straight seasons. Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Pro Football Reference Database. The heart and soul of the Yankees dynasties of the '50s, Yogi Berra won three MVP awards and had a seven-year stretch during which he never finished lower than fourth in the voting. But thats OK. Brett was a wizard at the plate during a 21-year career he even led the AL in average (.329) and doubles (45) in his Age 37 season that garnered 13 All-Star nods, the 1980 AL MVP (when he hit .390) and the 1985 World Series title for Kansas City (he hit .370 against St. Louis in the series). Why hes here: Armed with a sweet swing and an unparalleled batting eye, Carew won seven AL batting titles and hit at least .330 in 10 different seasons. If we are going to honor his career anywhere, itll be at 24. Why hes here: Ripken started his career with a bang he won the AL rookie of the year in 1982 and the AL MVP in 1983 and spent the rest of his time with the Orioles fashioning a no-doubt Hall of Fame career. Ripken is best-known for his Iron Man streak of 2,632 consecutive games played (Lou Gehrig previously held the record at 2,130) but he also made the All-Star team 19 times and won the 1991 AL MVP, too. The Wizard owned the web gem before the term existed, but beyond his lengthy highlight reel the longtime Cardinal was remarkably consistent, setting records for assists and double plays by a shortstop. Even NHL players like Bobby Orr and Scott Stevens sported the 4 on their backs while making an impact in their sport. Hockey? When you have a nickname like that, youve earned the right to be considered the greatest athlete to wear the No. That was pretty awesome for a couple of years. Honorable mentions: Kirby Puckett, David Ortiz, Felix Hernandez, Fernando Valenzuela. The right-hander with the unmistakable high leg kick finished his career with a 2.89 ERA and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1983. 3 the first 10 years of his career, with the Mariners and Rangers, but a mildly well-known slugger had long ago claimed that number with the Yankees. The tight end has 1,215 receptions in his career, which is fourth all time. Every number tells a story in