The Oklahoma City Thunder (and the Seattle Supersonics before them) have 51 jersey numbers worn by the players who have suited up for the franchise since its founding at the start of the 1967-68 season. To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Thunder Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team.
And while those Supersonics jerseys may not remain part of the franchise history should a new team be established in Seattle as was the case with the return of the Charlotte Hornets, they are part of the Thunder’s history today.
For this article, we continue with the 42nd jersey number in the series, jersey No. 45, with nine players in total having donned the jersey in the history of the franchise.
The first of those players who did so in the Seattle SuperSonics era, big man alum Bob Rule. After ending his college career at Colorado State, Rule was picked up with the 19th overall selection of the 1967 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics.
The Riverside, California native would play parts the first five seasons of his pro career with Seattle, coming to an end when he was dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers in 1971.
During his time suiting up for the Sonics, Rule wore only jersey No. 45 and put up 21.4 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game.
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
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