Kevin Durant once said, “I look at my jersey and I see the NBA logo, I’m like ‘I didn’t think I’d be here.’” The jersey worn by NBA players is more than the clothing that covers the upper part of their body. With the logo of their team in the front and their name and a number of their pick covering the back, it stands as a testament to what the athlete has achieved till now, and what more he can achieve during the best years of his life. For quite some time, there was doubt about whether Bronny James himself would be able to own such a jersey until he was finally drafted as the 55 overall pick during the 2024 NBA draft. However, for anyone looking to get their hands on the rookie’s jersey, you may want to wait a while.

In a segment of Gil’s Arena posted today, the crew made up of an elite group of former players touched base on Julius Randle’s recent jersey dilemma. With everyone else commenting on how the Knicks player was tricked into believing that his jersey wasn’t in the store, Gilbert Arenas used the opportunity to send his flowers to Bronny James. How? By claiming that the rookie’s jerseys anyway wouldn’t be available in any Los Angeles stores for fans to purchase, given the huge amount of sales they have managed to generate. However, the ex-All-star indicated that the rookie is set to make a big change that may end up making the value of all those purchased jerseys less than before. “He’s Number 9, and I’ve already talked to him, and then he’s gonna be zero next year,” said Arenas on his namesake podcast.

If the former Warriors player’s statement is to be believed, then everyone who has purchased a Bronny James jersey carrying the No. 9 may not get to see that number appear during the Los Angeles Lakers regular season games. However, none of them would be at a bigger loss than the person who would acquire the player’s first summer league game-worn shirt. According to reports, after being placed at auction, the jersey has already reached a bidding price of $7000. Anyone willing to fork out that much money will have to be sure that the number stands the test of time.

The jersey number is an integral part of a player’s identity. Michael Jordan wore the number 23 to honor his brother, while LeBron James adopted the same number to honor Bill Russell. Coming into the NBA, the latter’s son opted for the Number 9. During his introductory press conference, he revealed that the same was a way to honor the late rapper Juice WRLD since he “has just been a big part of me keeping calm in situations that I’ve been through. Just paying homage to him, especially because he passed. It’s a really important thing for me.” However, Bronny also used to wear the number 0 during his school days, which was his way of honoring Russell Westbrook. Meanwhile, his younger brother, Bryce, took Number 30 to pay tribute to Stephen Curry. With the NBA season yet to begin, Bronny may yet opt to make the change.

The 2024-25 season will be Bronny James’s big test, a chance to shut down all haters. However, believe it or not, the rookie’s worth may have already come out without him even playing a single regular season game.

Gilbert Arenas believes sales of Bronny James’ jerseys make his addition worthwhile

After being selected by the Lakers, Bronny James was awarded a 4-year rookie contract that would pay him $7.89 million in total. Despite it being on the same level that several second-round picks would get, analysts were quick to point out some key differences. For one thing, almost $4.4 million of the amount was reportedly placed under the guaranteed category, while second-round picks are usually awarded two-way, partially guaranteed, or non-guaranteed deals. Furthermore, the 55 pick during the 2023 NBA Draft, Isaiah Wong, signed a 2-way contract worth $559,782. Bronny will earn almost 14 times more than the player in his position last year!

According to reports, almost 500,000 pieces of Bronny James’s jerseys were sold within the first 24 hours of its release! In a previous segment of Gil’s Arena, the former player took this as a future sign of success by stating, “Lakers are happy with the Bronny pick because he’s sold enough jerseys to make up for his contract. He’s equal money to the team itself. So, it’s not like they lose money on a kid, they’re going to make money on the kid because [of his jersey sales].”

Whether Bronny can sell more jerseys depends on whether he can perform according to, or even beyond expectations. However, according to head coach JJ Redick, the 19-year-old is currently a “development player,” with a good chance that a major part of his time may be spent in the G League. With Bronny’s spot in the main lineup unsure, along with the recent update that his number may very well be changed, all the people owning one of those 500,000 jerseys may have to consider whether it was worth it or not.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.