Rare NBA Jersey Numbers

A look at jersey numbers that have never been worn in NBA history, numbers worn by only one player, and unusual numbers that were first used in recent years.

Never Worn Worn by One Player Recently First Worn

Jersey Numbers Never Worn in NBA History

The following jersey numbers have never been worn by a player in an NBA or BAA regular-season game.

#64

#69

#74

#75

#78

#79

#80

#82

#87

Jersey Numbers Worn by Only One Player

These unusual jersey numbers have appeared in NBA history, but each has been worn by only one player.

The numbers 07 and 09 are listed separately from the more common single-digit Nos. 7 and 9 because Rochester used leading-zero uniform numbers during the league's early years.

Number	Player	Team	Season(s)
#07	Paul Noel	Rochester Royals	1950-51
#09	Bobby Wanzer	Rochester Royals	1949-50 to 1951-52
#58	Jack McVeigh	Houston Rockets	2024-25
#59	Rayjon Tucker	Milwaukee Bucks	2021-22
#63	Coty Clarke	Boston Celtics	2015-16
#68	Milt Schoon	Detroit Falcons	1946-47
#73	Dennis Rodman	Los Angeles Lakers	1998-99
#83	Craig Smith	Portland Trail Blazers	2011-12
#85	Baron Davis	Cleveland Cavaliers / New York Knicks	2010-11 to 2011-12

Numbers No Longer Worn by Only One Player

#65: George Ratkovicz wore No. 65 for the Syracuse Nationals during the 1949-50 season. The number remained associated with only Ratkovicz for decades, but Alex Reese later wore No. 65 for the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2024-25 season.

Because two different players have now worn No. 65, it has been removed from the one-player list.

Rare Numbers First Worn in Recent NBA History

Several numbers that once appeared on NBA lists of numbers that had never been worn have finally reached the court in recent years.

Number	Player	Team	First Season Worn	Notes
#58	Jack McVeigh	Houston Rockets	2024-25	First NBA player to wear No. 58
#59	Rayjon Tucker	Milwaukee Bucks	2021-22	First NBA player to wear No. 59
#81	José Calderón	Cleveland Cavaliers	2017-18	Later also worn by Miye Oni
#97	Brodric Thomas	Boston Celtics	2021-22	Later also worn by Eugene Omoruyi

Rare NBA Number Facts

#69: No player has worn No. 69 in an NBA game. Dennis Rodman famously posed with a No. 69 Dallas Mavericks jersey when he joined the team in 2000, but he ultimately wore No. 70.

#73: Dennis Rodman remains the only player in NBA history to wear No. 73, using it during his brief stint with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1999.

#85: Baron Davis is the only NBA player to wear No. 85. He used the number with both Cleveland and New York.

#68: Milt Schoon wore No. 68 for the Detroit Falcons during the inaugural 1946-47 BAA season, making it one of the oldest rare uniform numbers in league history.

Never Worn Worn by One Player Recently First Worn