The Coolest NBA Players To Ever Wear #00
The Double-Barrel Gang: A roster of the best (and most interesting) NBA players to wear No.00.
Wearing №00 on your jersey is a statement. It’s not №0, the more popular version of the weightless number, it’s two of those jammies — a clear-cut declaration that, ‘Hey, I’m a little bit different than the rest of these bozos…”
When I think about the double-barrel on a jersey, Eric Montross comes to mind, the blonde, crew-cut-rocking center from North Carolina. And while Montross is likely a cool dude, there were a lot of more talented (and notable) guys who donned the #00.
Here, we’ll lay out a roster of the best (and most interesting) NBA players who rocked the double-zero, regardless of how good they were when they wore it.
() = Seasons/Teams when wearing #00
Guards:
PG: Mike Bibby (2010–11 — Washington Wizards)
For starters, it’s crazy that Mike Bibby never made an All-Star team. He was the absolute heart and soul of the early-2000’s Kings — one of the coolest and most interesting teams in NBA history — and had a three-year stretch (2003–2006) where he averaged 19.7 points and 5.9 assists per game. Back in those days, those numbers were legit.
With that said, Bibby only wore №00 for two games, making him the shortest-tenured member of the Double-Barrel Gang. He wore it as a member of the Washington Wizards, this coming after he was essentially swapped by the Hawks for Kirk Hinrich. After his two-game stint, he was waived by the Wizards but caught on as the starting point guard for LeBron James’ first NBA Finals run with the Heat.
SG: O.J Mayo (2013–15 — Milwaukee Bucks)
Mayo was once one of the smoothest wing players in the league, yet inconsistency is the one thing that sticks out the most in terms of his career. Two good years in Memphis off the bat, then two soft years; a comeback season with the Mavericks, a big contract, then three shaky years in Milwaukee. He’d still be playing right now based on sheer talent, but substance-abuse issues earned him a two-year ban in 2016.
An outstanding Sports Illustrated piece documented his whereabouts since the suspension, outlining his plan for a comeback once his July 1st, 2018 reinstatement comes around. One can only hope he’s doing better; the league is better off with O.J in it.
Forwards:
SF: Aaron Gordon — (2014–18 — Orlando Magic)
The former №4-overall pick is well deserving of his spot as the starting small forward on this roster. Now in his fourth NBA season, Gordon is proud of his double-zeros, even going as far as to put it in his Twitter handle (@Double0AG). He’s having his best season as a pro this year, complete with career-highs in points (18.4), three-pointers (2), rebounds (8.3), assists (2.2), and minutes per game (34).
With the trade deadline coming up, though, and the Magic in the middle of a rough season, Gordon could be rockin’ the №00 for someone else sooner than expected.
PF: Enes Kanter (2017–18 — New York Knicks)
Kanter came to the Big Apple this season, a year removed from an embarrassing postseason stretch with the Thunder. Since joining the Knicks, though, tides have shifted for the former №3 pick: he’s become a fan-favorite at Madison Square Garden and is having his best season to date.
In his first year wearing the number, Enes Kanter is the poster-child for folks who wear the double-zero: different, controversial, but very talented.
C: Robert Parish (1976–97 — Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls)
“The Chief” is the lone Hall-of-Famer on our roster and has (by far) the most games played wearing the double-barrels. Over 21 seasons, Parish never wore another number, rocking №00 for four different teams and picking up four championship rings in the process. His number is retired by the Boston Celtics.
Besides being an all-time great player, Chief also totes the honor of having the best fight among all double-zero players. Roll the tape…
Bench:
Chris “Birdman” Andersen (2016–17 — Cleveland Cavaliers)
“Birdman” wore №00 for the final 12 games of his career as a member of the 2016–17 Cleveland Cavaliers. He would eventually tear his ACL and get traded, but he still makes for a great energy guy off our bench. Besides, all legendary teams have a crazy back-up center.
Tony Delk (1996–02, 2004–06 — Charlotte Hornets, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons)
Although never living up to the success he had at Kentucky — where he also rocked №00, albeit in awful uniforms — Tony Delk made a living in the NBA as a bench player who could bang a bunch of threes. And that’s exactly why he made the cut on our bench. As a member of the Phoenix Suns, he became one of the most unlikely players to score 50 points in a game.
Delk wore №00 for the bulk of his career but had to change things up when he joined the Celtics in 2001–02. As mentioned before, №00 was retired by the Celtics in honor of “The Chief”.
Spencer Hawes (2010–14, 2016–17, Philadelphia 76ers, Charlotte Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks)
At this point in the NBA landscape, it’s super weird that a seven-footer who can shoot is without a job. Hawes once made 128 threes in a season, doing so at a 41.6-percent clip. Some team can use him.
Two other cool things about Big Spence…he, like Aaron Gordon, incorporates his double-zero love into social media (@spencerhawes00 on Twitter), and he’s also friends with one of our friends here at Slackie Brown, Asher Roth.
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