NBA to retire Bill Russell's number league-wide: Which current NBA players wear No. 6?

Kyle Irving

NBA to retire Bill Russell's number league-wide: Which current NBA players wear No. 6? image

The NBA and National Basketball Players Association announced on Thursday that the late, great Bill Russell will have his jersey No. 6 retired across the entire league.

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.

Player Team
Nickeil Alexander-Walker Utah Jazz
Moses Brown Cleveland Cavaliers
Shaq Buchanan Memphis Grizzlies
Alex Caruso Chicago Bulls
Zylan Cheatham Utah Jazz
Gabriel Deck Oklahoma City Thunder
Hamidou Diallo Detroit Pistons
David Duke Jr. Brooklyn Nets
Bryn Forbes Denver Nuggets
Melvin Frazier Oklahoma City Thunder
Quentin Grimes New York Knicks
Montrezl Harrell Washington Wizards
LeBron James Los Angeles Lakers
Keon Johnson Portland Trail Blazers
Kenyon Martin Jr. Houston Rockets
Jalen McDaniels Charlotte Hornets
Jordan McLaughlin Minnesota Timberwolves
Kevin Pangos Cleveland Cavaliers
Kristaps Porziņģis Washington Wizards
Javonte Smart Milwaukee Bucks
Lance Stephenson Indiana Pacers
Rayjon Tucker Denver Nuggets
Luca Vildoza Milwaukee Bucks
Tyrone Wallace New Orleans Pelicans
Lou Williams Atlanta Hawks

Kyle Irving

Kyle Irving Photo

You read that wrong – not Kyrie Irving. From Boston, graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Sixth season as a content producer for NBA.com's Global editions. Covering the NBA Draft has become his annual "dream come true" moment on the job. Irving has a soft spot for pass-first point guards, with Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash being two of his favorite players of all time.