Kings' Nique Clifford explains the meaning behind his new jersey number

After wearing two jersey numbers in college, rookie Nique Clifford will have a new look next season as he begins his career in the NBA with the Sacramento Kings.

Clifford donned No. 32 for three seasons at Colorado before changing to No. 10 for the past two years at Colorado State. He wanted to have a fresh start with the Kings and ultimately chose to wear No. 5, which he had only previously worn at his pro day earlier this year.

The 24th pick will become the 26th player to wear it and is the first since De’Aaron Fox. Clifford revealed during his introductory press conference that there is significant meaning behind the number.

Honestly, it was just the best available number at first when I was looking at the list. There were a lot of retired numbers around here, so I ended up choosing 5. I started to look deeper into it, and I saw the meanings of the No. 5. It represented personal growth and change, which is kind of what I wanted to embody going into my career. … Biblically, it represented God’s grace and kindness, so I felt like it was definitely a fitting number for myself.

Clifford was a first-team All-Mountain West selection last season, averaging 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals on 37.7% shooting from 3-point range. He was also named to the Mountain West All-Defensive Team and was the conference tournament MVP.

The 23-year-old debuted with the Kings in the NBA Summer League, averaging 15.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals on 45.8% shooting from 3-point range in six games. He was named to the all-summer league first team after scoring in double figures five times.

Clifford projects to be a player who can step in next season and contribute in the rotation for coach Doug Christie. The team was excited to add him in the draft and is eager to see him take the court.

Note: Throughout August, Rookie Wire is looking at every first-round pick and why each player selected their respective jersey number as they make the jump to the NBA.

This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Kings news: Nique Clifford explains the meaning behind jersey number

Kings’ Nique Clifford explains the meaning behind his new jersey number

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