The NBA and NCAA both rejected the number 69 jersey. Even Mavericks president Mark Cuban wore and retained several of Rodman's 69-printed tees. Dennis Rodman averaged 14.3 rebounds after 12 games in the previous NBA season. The number 69 was rejected by the NBA. Rodman settled on the number 70. It is not known why he changed his shirt number.
Number 69 has been worn by multiple players throughout basketball history. The most famous person to wear this number is probably American basketball player and coach John "Bunny" Freeman, who coached the University of Chicago to a championship in 1934. He also played for the team as a guard. Freeman was given the nickname "Bunny" because of his short stature (5 feet 9 inches tall).
Number 69 has been worn by many other athletes besides Bunny Freeman, including baseball players Joe DiMaggio and Jim Rice, football players Mel Blount and Pete Goguen, and soccer player Brian Clough. However, none of them are as famous as Rodman.
In conclusion, no, the jersey number 69 is not banned from the NBA.
No NBA player has ever worn the number 69, which is said to be implicitly prohibited owing to its sexual overtones; however, the NBA has never acknowledged this. Dennis Rodman apparently sought the number 69 when he joined the Dallas Mavericks, but it was denied, so he wore 70 instead.
In the NFL, there are several players who have had their numbers retired by their teams. They include: Carl Eller (69), Dave Robinson (69), Deion Sanders (69), Eric Dickerson (30), Herschel Walker (40), Isaiah Stanback (70), Jim Brown (number 10), Ola Kimball (number 89), Pete Pihlaja (number 90), Ron Sellers (number 31), Billy Howton (number 73), and Keith Lincoln (number 75). There are also many players who have had their numbers honored throughout the season. These include: Chris Carter (69) of the Chicago Bears, Matt Stover (69) of the Miami Dolphins, Gary Anderson (69) of the Denver Broncos, Adam Vinatieri (60) of the New England Patriots, and Jason Elam (69) of the Kansas City Chiefs.
In addition, there are several players who have had their numbers used during pre-game ceremonies or as a tribute after they were killed in action.
Before we begin, there are two critical requirements to consider: To be eligible for consideration, a player must have worn the jersey number for at least five years, but the player's whole career is taken into account, not just the time he wore that number.
Apart from 55, there aren't many numbers in the 51-99 range that a single player has worn for more than a season or two. In truth, the numbers 58, 59, 64, 69, 74, 75, 78, 79, 80, 82, 87, and 97 have never been worn.
Drew Gooden is the only NBA player to have worn the number 90. He's worn it most of his career, although he's also worn zero and nine.
69 is one of 20 NBA/ABA uniform numbers that have never been worn. (In addition, Rochester issued the numbers 03, 07, and 09 to separate players in the 1950s, but no other club has ever allocated those numbers, so I won't consider the other six identical possibilities.)
Nonetheless, certain numbers remain far more popular than others. The finest college basketball players to ever wear each of the NCAA's 37 permitted jersey numbers are listed here (plus a look at a few that are no longer eligible). 00. Michael Jordan wore this number from 1985-93 when he played for University of Chicago. He is the all-time leading scorer in NBA history.
07. Bill Walton played center for UCLA from 1957-61 and was named an All-American in 1959. After graduating, he turned down opportunities from several NBA teams to play in the American Basketball Association.
10. Earvin "Magic" Johnson played forward for Michigan State from 1976-80 and was drafted first overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980 NBA Draft. After playing eight seasons in the NBA, he became one of the best baseball players in MLB history.
13. Charles Barkley played power forward for the Kentucky Wildcats from 1975-79 and was named All-America twice. After graduating, he became one of the most successful football players in NFL history.
14. Kevin Durant played center for Texas Tech from 2002-06 before moving to shooting guard. In his only season as a freshman, he was unanimously chosen as the National College Basketball Player of the Year after leading Texas Tech to the national championship.
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