After wearing No. 30 for the past several years, rookie Liam McNeeley will have a new jersey number next season to begin his career with the Charlotte Hornets.

McNeeley donned No. 30 in high school at Pearce, John Paul II and the Montverde Academy before staying with it last season as a freshman at UConn. It was occupied by Seth Curry upon joining the Hornets, so McNeeley was forced to make a change.

The 29th pick in the 2025 NBA draft ultimately opted to go with No. 33, which will keep a longstanding personal tradition going with all of his past jersey numbers.

“I always like to have a three in my number,” McNeeley said in a video posted by the Hornets on Threads. “The number I wore in high school and college wasn’t available, but 33 was the closest to it. I’ve always had a three in my number: I grew up wearing 30. I’ve worn three, 23 and 13, but 33 was sticking out to me.”

McNeeley was the Big East Freshman of the Year last season, averaging 14.5 points, six rebounds and 2.3 assists on 38.1% shooting from the field. He is the seventh player in program history to win the award, joining the likes of Stephon Castle, Rudy Gay and Khalid El-Amin.

The 19-year-old logged two appearances with the Hornets in summer league, averaging 18 points, 8.5 rebounds and four assists on 42.9% shooting from 3-point range. He produced 22 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in his debut on July 11 in a win over the Utah Jazz.

McNeeley is part of a stacked draft class for the Hornets, along with Kon Knueppel (No. 4 pick), Sion James (33rd pick) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (34th pick). The group won the summer league championship and will look to carry that momentum into next year.

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.

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