Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield changing jersey number from 24 to 7
The Indiana Pacers announced on Thursday that guard Buddy Hield is changing jersey numbers.
Hield, who has worn the jersey number 24 with the New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, and Indiana Pacers, is switching from 24 to 7. Hield has never worn the number before, though he did rock both 24 and 3 at different times in college.
When Hield was traded to Indiana in 2022, the number 7 uniform was taken by Malcolm Brogdon. He remained 24, the same number he had with the Kings prior to the move. Last season, no Pacers player wore 7 until George Hill joined the team via a mid-season trade.
Beyond Brogdon and Hill, Al Jefferson is the only player to wear the 7 kit for the blue and gold since Jermaine O'Neal had the uniform from 2000-2008. O'Neal shared his thoughts on Hield switching to number 7 on Instagram earlier in the day.
The number 24 is now open again for the blue and gold. The last two players to have it for Indiana were Alize Johnson and Paul George. Johnson had it during the 2020-21 season and publicly addressed potentially changing it to honor Kobe Byrant after Bryant's death in January of 2020.
Hield is the third Pacer to change their number this offseason. Rookie Jarace Walker originally chose jersey number 1 after being drafted by Indiana, and forward Obi Toppin took number 4 after being traded to the team. Toppin wanted 1, though, and asked to get it from Walker, who obliged. "Shoutout to my boy Jarace, he gave me number 1... I had to work for that," Toppin said earlier in the offseason.
"It just kind of stood out to me that night. No meaning to it," Walker said of picking 1 originally. Now, he's number 5 instead. All of the Pacers uniform numbers can be seen here.
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