Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook will have a different yet familiar jersey number this upcoming season, as he’ll wear the No. 4 for the second time in his NBA career.
The No. 4 formerly belonged to Hunter Tyson, but the young forward agreed to give his number to Russell Westbrook and will wear the No. 5 next season. On the other hand, Christian Braun will continue to wear No. 0 for the Denver Nuggets, and Westbrook said he doesn’t have a problem with it.
Russell Westbrook was given a two-year contract to join the Denver Nuggets this offseason alongside Dario Saric. The No. 4 overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft previously played one-and-a-half seasons for the Los Angeles Clippers.
With Jamal Murray as the Denver Nuggets’ starting point guard, even after his struggles in the Paris Olympics, Russell Westbrook will reprise his off-the-bench role in the Mile High.
Why Russell Westbrook will wear No. 4 for the Denver Nuggets
Russell Westbrook wore No. 4 for the first time in his NBA career during his lone year with the Washington Wizards in 2020-21. During a previous interview, he said that 4 was always his favorite number because of his family.
“When I got to Oklahoma, even at UCLA, I got there, Arron Afflalo had it at UCLA. Then I got to Oklahoma City, Nick Collison had it. Then when I got to Houston, Danuel House had it. So I didn’t have an opportunity to kind of go back to my original number. Four is my favorite number. It reminds me and it gives me a sense of my roots and where I started from and where I get it from,” Westbrook said via Sporting News’ Jordan Heck.
“My favorite number has always been four, because that’s the number of people in my family — my little brother, my mom, and my dad. My family is always with me for every milestone,” he added.
