The Brooklyn Nets have 52 jersey numbers worn by over 600 different players over the course of their history since the franchise was founded in 1967 as a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA), when the team was known as the “New Jersey Americans”.
Since then, that league has been absorbed by the NBA with the team that would later become the New York Nets and New Jersey Nets before settling on the name by which they are known today, bringing their rich player and jersey history with them to the league of today.
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To commemorate the players who played for the Nets over the decades wearing those 52 different jersey numbers, Nets Wire is covering the entire history of the franchise’s jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. The 20th of those 52 different numbers is jersey No. 18, which has has had a total of two players wear the number in the history of the team.
Apr 15, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Montrezl Harrell (5) shoots over Brooklyn Nets forward Yuta Watanabe (18) during game one of the 2023 NBA playoffs at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
The second of those players wearing No. 18 played in the Brooklyn Nets era, forward alum Yuta Watanabe. After ending his college career at George Washington, Watanabe would go unselected in the 2018 NBA draft, instead signing with the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Yokohama, Japan native would play the first two seasons of his pro career with the Griz. He would also play for the Toronto Raptors before he signed with Brooklyn in 2022. His stay with the team would span a single season, coming to an end when he signed with the Phoenix Suns in 2023.
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During his time suiting up for the Nets, Watanabe wore only jersey No. 18 and put up 5.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets jersey history No. 18 – Yuta Watanabe (2022-23)