Anton Bonke Seemingly Unveils New Jersey Number with MSU

The Spartans' new transfer seems to have his uniform after transferring in from Charlotte.

Nov 28, 2024; Paradise Island, Bahamas, BHS; Davidson Wildcats forward Sean Logan (15) dribbles as Providence Friars center Anton Bonke (5) defends during the first half at the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Resort. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Michigan State's lone incoming transfer seems to have his uniform number set.

On Monday, Charlotte transfer Anton Bonke officially joined his new team in East Lansing. Bonke posted a photo to his Instagram story with a simple caption of "thank you," an emoji flag for his home country, Vanuatu, and a green practice uniform with No. 34 on the front.

It appears Anton Bonke will wear No. 34 for Michigan State.

Previously wore No. 5 at Providence and No. 49 at Charlotte. pic.twitter.com/IPexJqG0cR

— Jacob Cotsonika (@jacobcotsonika) June 8, 2026

Bonke's Past Numbers

MSU will be Bonke's fourth school in his four seasons playing college basketball. Assuming Bonke sticks around with his number, it will be his third different set of digits that he's worn. He wore No. 5 during his freshman and sophomore years at JUCO Eastern Arizona College and Providence, respectively. Bonke then sported No. 49 last season at Charlotte.

Bonke will be the first player to wear 34 for the Spartans since Xavier Booker. He wore it during both of his seasons with Michigan State in 2023-24 and 2024-25 before transferring to UCLA, where he now wears No. 1.

Feb 8, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Charlotte 49ers center Anton Bonke (49) handles the ball against Memphis Tigers forward Aaron Bradshaw (11) during the first half at FedExForum. | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

Interestingly, three of the nine retired numbers MSU has are right below 34. Jay Vincent's No. 31 is retired, Greg Kelser's No. 32 is retired, and Magic Johnson's No. 33 is retired. Draymond Green is the most recent Michigan State player to have his jersey retired, with his No. 23 being raised to the rafters in December 2019.

Expectations for Bonke

As for what matters, Bonke will be a huge determining factor for how high the Spartans can climb this coming season. Finding a portal center was Michigan State's early priority No. 1 this offseason. A few names were thrown around and discussed, but Bonke is the player Tom Izzo landed on.

Feb 8, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Tigers guard Sincere Parker (23) shoots the ball against Charlotte 49ers center Anton Bonke (49) during the first half at FedExForum. | Wesley Hale-Imagn Images

Izzo needs Bonke to become an above-average Big Ten starting center if MSU is to become a national contender next year. Bonke hasn't proven himself to be that yet, though. He averaged 10.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game at Charlotte. Bonke was largely outside the regular playing rotation while at Providence the year before that.

What must be remembered is that Bonke is still very new to basketball and has improved fast. He only started playing the sport at 16 years old. His counting stats at Charlotte last season were better than the ones at Eastern Arizona. He's still very projectable as a relatively athletic stretch big. His height of 7'2" is also going to make him the tallest player in Michigan State basketball history.

Nov 9, 2024; Providence, Rhode Island, USA; Providence Friars center Anton Bonke (5) warms up before a game against the Stonehill Skyhawks at Amica Mutual Pavilion. | Eric Canha-Imagn Images