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Veteran guard J.J. Redick is just a few games into his first season with the Philadelphia 76ers that has resulted in a few alterations on his behalf.
One of which was changing his number to 17 after donning No. 4 for the last four seasons with the L.A. Clippers. During an interview with Alex Wong of GQ.com, Redick revealed why he made the switch to No. 17 this year.
“Bryan Colangelo gave me an iPad, but that wasn’t really the coolest part of the meeting. So we went to his office, and this was like at 1:30 in the morning, we had finished meeting Brett Brown on the court, and there was like eight of us in Colangelo’s office, and he hands me a Sixers jersey with the number 17. He was like, “Sorry, we couldn’t get it made with the number four in time, so we just put the year on it.” I took it home with me, and a few days after signing with them, they asked me what number I wanted to wear, and the number four was retired [for Dolph Schayes], so I was like, it’s fate, I’m picking 17. So that’s why I picked 17. I still have the jersey Colangelo handed me that night.”
With his decision to join the 76ers, there was no way he could have kept his number as Schayes had that jersey retired by the organization back in March 2016. Schayes was a 12-time All-Star that helped lead Philadelphia to an NBA title back in 1955 and was regarded as one of the best players during his era.
That said, Redick's choice to go with No. 17 in many ways is symbolic as it's the year in which he joined the team. It could also mark a fresh new start for him as he plays in his 12th season in the league with his fourth team.
Redick has taken up a leadership role on the 76ers as one of the veteran presences for the young roster with promising talent. He inked a one-year, $23 million over this past summer.
