Nets' Joshua Jefferson chooses new jersey number to begin NBA career - NBA

After wearing the same jersey number for most of his basketball career, Joshua Jefferson will have a new look when he takes the court next season with the Brooklyn Nets.

Jefferson donned No. 5 at Liberty High School in Nevada and kept it for his first two years at St. Mary’s. He wore No. 2 upon transferring to Iowa State since No. 5 was taken by Curtis Jones, but he reverted back to No. 5 last season after Jones left for the NBA.

The 28th overall pick opted to wear No. 9 with the Nets, since No. 5 is retired in honor of Hall of Famer Jason Kidd and No. 2 is taken by Danny Wolf. He will be the 20th player in franchise history to wear No. 9, and the first since E.J. Liddell last season.

Jefferson was a consensus second-team All-American last season, averaging 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 34.5% from 3-point range. He ranked sixth in the country in box plus-minus (plus-13.0) and 19th in win shares (6.1).

The 22-year-old logged three appearances with the Nets in summer league, averaging 7.3 points, two steals, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists while shooting 33.3% from the field. He debuted on July 11, recording nine points and two steals.

Jefferson was highly touted out of college because of his scoring, rebounding and overall versatility. The team was ecstatic to add him to the roster and is eager to see him take the court.

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: Nets’ Joshua Jefferson chooses new jersey number to begin NBA career

Nets’ Joshua Jefferson chooses new jersey number to begin NBA career

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