Numbers retired by UCLA were originally limited to three-time consensus All-Americans.[4] In 1990,Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, known as Lew Alcindor during his UCLA career, andBill Walton were the first to have their numbers retired.[5] The ceremony was held in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of Pauley Pavilion.[a][6][7] Wooden valued team play over individual accolades, and he opposed retiring numbers.[4][8] "What about the fellows who wore that number before?" Wooden asked. "Didn't they contribute to the team?"[8] Wooden did think highly of Abdul-Jabbar and Walton. "If such a thing can be deserved, it'd be Alcindor and Walton. But I don't think it would be anyone else," said Wooden.[9]
UCLA in 1996 expanded the requirements for retiring numbers to include players who were consensus national players of the year.[4] This allowed the jersey numbers ofWalt Hazzard (No. 42),Sidney Wicks (35),Marques Johnson (54), andEd O'Bannon (31) to be retired.[9] In 2004, UCLA also allowed players inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame to be eligible, enabling the retirement ofGail Goodrich's No. 25.[4][10] Three Bruins were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012, and UCLA retired their numbers in 2013—Jamaal Wilkes (52),Reggie Miller (31), andDon Barksdale (11).[11] It was the second time No. 31 was retired, O'Bannon's being the first.[12]
Eight of the players honored were members of NCAA championship teams,[13][14] and seven of the players were coached by Wooden.[15] Although Hazzard's No. 42 was retired, he allowedKevin Love (2007–2008) to wear it.[2][16][17][18] Johnson's retired No. 54 was worn by his sons,Kris (1994–1998) and Josiah (2001–2005).[2][19]
In 2014, UCLA announced that No. 42 would be retired across all the university's sports in honor ofJackie Robinson, a four-sport star at UCLA who went on to aHall of Fame career inMajor League Baseball after breaking thebaseball color line. While Robinson wore several different numbers while at the school from 1939 to 1941, UCLA chose to honor the iconic No. 42 that he wore during his career with theBrooklyn Dodgers.[20] The announcement had no impact on the men's basketball program, since the number was already retired for Hazzard, who had requested No. 42 as his college number to follow in the footsteps of Robinson, his childhood idol.[21] Robinson also played basketball for the Bruins, but he wore No. 18.[22]
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