3 Legends With League-Wide Retired Numbers

Published on March 11th, 2026 5:35 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


There are only three players - Jackie Robinson, Bill Russell and Wayne Gretzky - who have ever had their jersey numbers retired across their respective leagues.

The NFL has no league-wide retired jersey numbers - the league was contemplating retiring Jim Brown's number after he passed away, though they never followed through on it.

Jackie Robinson, who had his #42 retired across Major League Baseball in 1997, was the first player in any major North American sports league to ever have his jersey retired league-wide.

Robinson's number was retired as part of the league's celebration of the 50th anniversary of Robinson breaking the "baseball color line" in 1947. Robinson's number was retired not just because of his accolades on the field, but also because of his role as a civil rights activist.

Wayne Gretzky's famous number 99 was retired across the league in 2000, immediately following his retirement from the game of hockey. Gretzky is undoubtedly the greatest hockey player to have ever lived, though he was also recognized for his efforts in growing the game outside of Canada.

In 2022, Bill Russell's #6 was retired across the NBA following his death. Russell won a staggering 11 championships in 13 seasons, and was the first black head coach in a major North American sport. Russell is widely regarded as being one of the greatest players to have ever lived.

Robinson, Gretzky and Russell all had tremendous careers, though they were also recognized by their respective leagues by making an impact in other ways.

Source: Retired Numbers in the NBA, MLB, NFL and NFL