The Suns welcome Khaman Maluach and reveal his jersey number at last

The wait is over. Khaman Maluach’s jersey number has been announced.

It’s official. Khaman Maluach is now a Phoenix Sun. While we all expected this from the moment he was drafted 10th overall by Houston, his arrival in Phoenix was sealed by the Kevin Durant trade just days before. Now, with the moratorium lifted, the wait is over.

Last week, we speculated on which number Khaman Maluach would choose for his professional debut. Number 9, the one he wore at Duke, is off the table. It is retired in honor of Thunder Dan, it hangs high in the rafters at PHX Arena. And number 6, his choice with the South Sudanese national team, is taken by The Greyhound, sitting just two digits away from Majerle’s iconic 9.

So, what did you think he’d pick? “Other” led the poll with 28%, while #19 wasn’t far behind at 23%.

At last, we get the answer we’ve been eager for: what number will Maluach proudly wear on his Suns jersey?

Maluach will become the 24th player in franchise history to wear number 10. Other notable names? Phil Lumpkin wore it back in ‘76. Don Buse wore it from 1978-80. Sam Cassell donned it for 22 games in 1997. Ty Jerome, Damion Lee, Zoran Dragic, and Derrick Jones Jr. are some other names. Oh, and the last time the Suns picked 10th? Jalen Smith, who then wore 10.

Leandro Barbosa is probably the most notable name to wear #10, doing so for a decade from 2004 to 2014.

The other rookies, Rasheer Fleming and Koby Brea, their numbers released as well, wearing 20 and 14 respectively.

The number 20 jersey has been worn 12 times before, by names like Maurice Lucas, Jermaine O’Neal, Josh Jackson, Dario Šarić, and most recently, Jusuf Nurkić. As for number 14? Koby Brea becomes the 22nd player in Suns history to wear it, joining a list that includes Jeff Hornacek, Antonio McDyess, Gerald Green, and Landry Shamet.

Feels like one of those “the more you know…” campaigns, quickly followed by “…the less you care.”

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it every season: I’m probably one of the only people who actually care about this stuff. But since I care, I share it with you. Because it’s part of the Phoenix Suns‘ story. Maybe you want a Maluach jersey someday. Maybe this number will one day be super important and hang in the Ring of Honor in Phoenix. Maybe it’s July.

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