Jaren Jackson Jr. renegotiating and signing an extension with the Memphis Grizzlies was a huge win for the franchise following negative buzz towards the city last month. With a new contract that made him the highest-paid player on the roster comes a number change for the former Defensive Player of the Year winner.
Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman stated at the Grizzlies' season-ending exit interviews that extending Jaren Jackson Jr. was the top priority for the team, and reiterated as such at his press conference following the first round of the NBA draft. Well, he stood on his word as the first big piece of news to drop at the start of free agency was Jackson Jr.'s five-year, $240 million extension.
While the two-time NBA All-Star has secured his first max-level contract of his career, he decided to switch to a jersey number he hasn't worn since the McDonald's All-American game in 2017. The jersey switch was random, but quickly followed the news of his contract extension.
Jaren Jackson Jr. will switch from number 13 to 8
To the surprise of everyone, NBA numerologist Etienne Catalan reported that Jaren Jackson Jr. will change his number from 13 to 8 for the upcoming season. Number 8 was recently worn by former Grizzlies forward Lamar Stevens this past season and will be the first time in Jackson Jr.'s NBA career that he will wear a number other than 13.
There hasn't been confirmation from him or the Grizzlies yet, and it likely won't be until the contract extension becomes official. Jackson Jr. last wore the number 8 while playing for Team West at the 2017 McDonald's All-American game. He eventually wore the number 2 during his one year of college playing at Michigan State from 2017-18 before being drafted 4th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2018.