Two number changes landed in Los Angeles this week, one on each side of the Staples-turned-Crypto hallway, and both of them run straight through the same person: Kobe Bryant. Walker Kessler is a Laker now, and he is wearing No. 14. Rui Hachimura is a Clipper now, and he kept No. 28. Neither jersey number is an accident, and in this city, numbers almost never are.
Walker Kessler Had to Give Up No. 24
Start with the obvious problem. Kessler wore No. 24 for four seasons with the Utah Jazz, but 24 is not available to any Laker and never will be again. It hangs in the Crypto.com Arena rafters for Kobe, retired alongside No. 8, the two numbers he wore across a 20-year career. So the moment the sign-and-trade sending Kessler to Los Angeles became official, he needed a new number. That part was decided for him.
Where he landed is the interesting part. Kessler picked No. 14, and it is a number he has worn before: he suited up in 14 for USA Basketball at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Kessler has not spelled out the reasoning publicly, and it is worth being precise here, national team numbers are assigned by USA Basketball rather than chosen by the player, so we would be guessing to call it a sentimental pick. What is true is cleaner than any guess: he could not keep 24 in this building, and he chose a number he has already worn on the biggest stage he has played on. In a Lakers uniform, 14 is a fresh start with a little history already attached.
Rui Hachimura's No. 28 Is the Real Tribute
Across the hall, the number with the built-in meaning belongs to Hachimura. He signed with the Clippers on a two-year deal in early July, leaving the Lakers after the two sides could not line up a sign-and-trade, and he brought No. 28 with him.
Hachimura wore 8 earlier in his career with the Washington Wizards, and when he got to the Lakers he moved to 28, a number that reads as a tribute the second you know the math: the 2 is for Gianna Bryant, who wore No. 2, and the 8 is for Kobe. He carried that number through his Lakers years, and rather than reinvent himself as a Clipper, he carried it across town. The uniform changes color, the meaning does not.
The Kobe Thread Ties Both Moves Together
Put the two side by side and the pattern is impossible to miss. Kessler is pushed off No. 24 by Kobe's banner and lands on a number of his own. Hachimura holds onto a number that folds Kobe and Gianna into a single jersey. One player had to route around Kobe's legacy, the other chose to carry it. In Los Angeles, a decade after his final game, Kobe Bryant is still shaping which digits a new arrival can wear and which ones a veteran refuses to give up.
That is the quiet power of a retired number and a personal tribute sitting in the same city. Kessler's 14 is a clean slate. Hachimura's 28 is a memorial he wears every night. Different stories, same shadow.
Frequently Asked Questions
What number does Walker Kessler wear for the Lakers?
No. 14. He wore No. 24 with the Utah Jazz, but that number is retired by the Lakers for Kobe Bryant, so Kessler switched to 14, a number he previously wore for USA Basketball at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Why can't Walker Kessler wear No. 24 with the Lakers?
Because the Lakers retired both No. 8 and No. 24 for Kobe Bryant in 2017. No Laker will wear either number again, so any incoming player who wore 24 elsewhere has to change.
What does Rui Hachimura's No. 28 mean?
It is a tribute to the Bryant family: the 2 honors Gianna Bryant, who wore No. 2, and the 8 honors Kobe Bryant. Hachimura wore No. 8 earlier with the Wizards and switched to 28 with the Lakers, then kept 28 after signing with the Clippers.
Did Rui Hachimura change teams?
Yes. Hachimura signed with the Los Angeles Clippers in early July 2026 after leaving the Lakers, and he kept his No. 28.
The Bottom Line on Two LA Number Changes
Jersey numbers are the smallest piece of a roster move and often the most revealing. Walker Kessler's No. 14 is a new number forced by an old banner, and Rui Hachimura's No. 28 is a tribute that traveled across the same city. Both belong to the strange gravity Kobe Bryant still holds over Los Angeles basketball, where you either work around his numbers or wear a piece of him on your back.
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