ODD: Damian Lillard & Scoot Henderson to Wear '0' and '00' For Portland Trail Blazers

At the NBA draft, top prospect Scoot Henderson out of Carlton J.Kell Highschool in Georgia has been drafted as the 3rd overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers. After the draft, people wondered which number he would wear, and the choice is at least a bit surprising.

Two Portland Trail Blazers Players to Wear No. 0 - "0" and "00"

Scoot Henderson is set to wear No. 00 for the Trail-Blazers. What makes this choice odd is that renowned player Damian Lillard currently wears No. 0. In the NBA, "0" and "00" are treated as different numbers for several years.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, two players in one team were not allowed to wear '0' and '00'. For example, in 2000, Utah Jazz center Greg Ostertag changed from "00" to "39" so Olden Polynice could wear No. 0.

Since numbers 0 and 00 are allowed in a single team, a number of NBA teams have featured players wearing both 0 and 00, such as the 2014 Denver Nuggets (Aaron Brooks and Darrell Arthur, respectively), the 2021-22 Golden State Warriors (Jonathan Kuminga and Gary Payton II), and, most lately, the 2022-23 Golden State Warriors (Jonathan Kuminga and Donte DiVincenzo).

In what is likely pure coincidence, on Friday night, Damian Lillard sparked rumors that he could leave the club. He shared a live video with Will Smith's "Miami" playing in the background. Many took that to mean that Lillard was sending a message that he wants to be traded to the Miami Heat. Lillard's agent Aaron Goodwin told The Athletic that the song was a funny coincidence. So "two number zeros" seem likely in the 2023-2024 NBA season for Portland Trail Blazers.

For the G-League Ignite, Scoot Henderson averaged 16.5 PPG with a 42.9% FG and 27.5% from three in 30.7 minutes per game.

The 6‘3 guard from Marietta has already arrived in Portland. He landed there with three other rookies and is set to make his debut in the Summer League.