Name every retired Lakers and Celtics number
Every player whose jersey hangs in the rafters for the NBA's two biggest franchises.
About this quiz
The Lakers and the Celtics have retired more numbers than any other franchises, which is what sixty combined championships does to a rafter. Between them they account for a double-digit share of every jersey retired in league history.
The Celtics list is the longer one and the harder one: a dozen names come from the 1960s dynasty alone, and several belong to players remembered as role pieces on teams full of legends.
Only players count here. Both clubs have also honoured coaches, executives and a broadcaster — Chick Hearn's Lakers banner reads MIC rather than a number — and those are not answers.
How to beat the clock
- Start with the Celtics 1960s: eleven titles in thirteen years put a lot of jerseys up there.
- The Lakers side splits cleanly into Showtime, the Shaq-Kobe era, and the Minneapolis years.
- Two players have two numbers retired by the same club.
How it works
One quiz a day, the same one for everybody — so the leaderboard is a straight comparison rather than fifteen boards with three names each. Your first attempt is the one that counts, because the game reveals every answer when the clock stops; replay as often as you like afterwards, it is pure practice and never changes your score.
Start typing and suggestions appear instantly. Submit with Enter or by clicking one — nothing is scored until you do, so you can finish typing the name you actually meant. Arrow keys move through the list.
A surname is enough when it is unambiguous — “Jordan” counts on a list with one Jordan, but a list with several Johnsons asks for the first name too. Capitalisation, punctuation and accents are all ignored, so “o neal” and “O’Neal” are the same answer. Suggestions are drawn from every player in the database, so seeing a name there says nothing about whether it is on the list.
Previously
Every quiz in the rotation, still playable any time: Name the NBA 75th Anniversary Team · Name every NBA MVP · Name every Finals MVP · Name every Defensive Player of the Year · Name every Rookie of the Year · Name every 10-time All-Star · Name the 20,000-point club · Name the 10,000-rebound club · Name the 8,000-assist club · Name every 2,000 three-pointer shooter · Name every 25-point-per-game scorer · Name every #1 overall draft pick · Name the undrafted players with 500+ games · Name every international All-NBA player · Name the 20,000-point scorers who never won a title · Name the #1 picks who never made an All-Star team · Name the 4-time champions who were never All-Stars · Name the stars who played for 6+ franchises · Name every NBA team that has moved city · Name the NBA teams that no longer exist · Name every franchise that has had a #1 overall pick · Name the team that drafted each recent #1 pick.