Duke Basketball Retired Jerseys Forever Stuck on Unlucky Number?

Eleven of the 13 men's retired jersey numbers in Cameron Indoor Stadium went up either during a player's senior year or the following season. As for the other two, the Duke basketball program waited until the early 1990s to honor 1960s Blue Devil stars Art Heyman and Jeff Mullins.

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But if ignoring the actual timing of those ceremonies and assuming all took place within a year of their playing careers in Durham, Duke basketball is now in its longest stretch without seeing its next retired-jersey talent since Dick Groat became the first in 1952.

Those 19 years and counting just so happen to coincide with the span since now-fourth-year head coach Jon Scheyer arrived in Durham as a freshman guard. Yes, JJ Redick and Shelden Williams, both honored during Scheyer's rookie campaign in 2006 after graduating the previous year, remain the most recent to receive the distinction.

And that's despite the fact that Duke has added two national championships (2010, 2015) to its now-five such banners in that span. Plus, the school has tallied a couple more Final Four appearances: Scheyer's first as a head coach this past go-round and the 2022 trip in Mike Krzyzewski's final season at the helm.

Of course, the one-and-done era is the overriding reason for the Blue Devils' retired-number drought, as one requirement has always been the Duke degree.

So, what's the chances any jersey numbers become retired under Scheyer's command. Well, that is pretty much what Duke Blue Devils On SI asked the 37-year-old, who was the starting point guard for the 2010 national champs as a senior, during his press conference in Cameron on Tuesday afternoon:

I asked Coach Scheyer if it is still a realistic goal in this era for a Duke basketball player to get his jersey number retired: pic.twitter.com/R1oJzGrwUt
— Matt Giles (@MattGilesBD) July 8, 2025

"I think it's the most difficult place to get your number — or your jersey — retired, right? I mean, you have to be some type of national player of the year award winner, or...Bobby Hurley broke the all-time assist record in the history of the NCAA, and you have to graduate.

"And you know, I'm sure the reality is that happening in this day and age is slim to none. And so for us, I think it's something we have to continue to evaluate and continue to look at, where you don't take away how special it is. Because some of these names with the guys that are up there [in the rafters], you want to make that a special thing.

"But at the same time, [you want to] give somebody an opportunity, well, if they win every national player of the year award, which [2024-25 Duke basketball forward and No. 1 overall draft pick Cooper Flagg] did. Other guys have, by the way, too, though. I mean, Zion [Williamson] did the same thing. Elton Brand.

"It's something we've talked about briefly. But at some point, we have to take a deeper look because you want to make sure you're honoring guys the right way when they come here. And it's clearly a different environment, clearly different circumstances.

"And so, that's something we're gonna have to look at."

Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball news.