Though it's a superstition, the idea that a jersey number can connote something about a given player has transcended decades and generations.

Way back when the New York Yankees started using jersey numbers in the 1920s, those digits had literal meaning: The first batter in the lineup wore No. 1, the second batter wore No. 2 and so on. But that meaning has become much more metaphorical.

For instance, any highly touted basketball player who wears No. 23 now seems more important, as his jersey draws comparisons to both Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

Along these lines, we thought it would be a fun exercise to rank the NBA's top 10 superstar jersey numbers throughout its history. While there may seem to be an obvious answer, the fun is looking at the history of each relevant number over the NBA's 70-plus-year run to see its ebbs and flows in popularity among the league's best players.

In addition, we give a hat tip to Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller, who did his own exhaustive breakdown of the best NBA player by jersey number, for our concept.

Methodology

This exercise is about superstars, so we're essentially comparing each jersey number based on a select group of players. To qualify here, the players had to fit at least one of three criteria:

• Make at least three NBA/ABA All-Star teams

• Make at least three All-NBA/ABA or All-Defensive teams

• Make the Hall of Fame

In addition, players who wore multiple jersey numbers were considered with the number they donned most often over their careers. In special cases where a player wore multiple numbers for the same amount of time (coincidentally, both Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal apply to this exception), an individual ruling was reached that will become clear as this list proceeds.

For each jersey number, we've also compiled a list of notable data points from each group of players and have listed them on every slide before diving into a more detailed examination of the individual talent involved.

Let's rank!

10) No. 2

Players Involved (sorted by total Win Shares): Moses Malone, Alex English, Joe Johnson, Mitch Richmond, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, Norm Van Lier, John Wall

Data Points: 52 All-Star appearances, 24 All-NBA teams, 16 All-Defensive teams, 5 titles, 3 Hall of Famers, 3 MVP Awards, 3 Finals MVP Awards, 2 Defensive Player of the Year Awards

This list is going to be quite something if these guys make up the final slot.

The Deuce has seen its fair share of league-altering talent, headlined by a trio of underrated stars in Malone, English and Leonard. Malone is one of eight players in NBA history to win at least three MVP awards, English ranks 20th on the league's all-time scoring leaderboard (just ahead of Jerry West, Patrick Ewing and Allen Iverson), and Leonard's unflashy two-way dominance makes him a prime candidate to be similarly overshadowed once he retires.

Besides the versatile stylings of Johnson (another player underrated because of a lack of team success and the fact that he was a contemporary of Kobe Bryant), the rest of these players are flashy guards. Irving and Wall need no introduction in 2020, but Richmond was an elite shooting guard in his day for the Run TMC Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings, and Van Lier made his name as a defensive-minded lead guard for some pre-Jordan Chicago Bulls contenders.

This group has a perfect combination of top-end talent and solid depth, and it is a perfect place to start.

9) No. 24

Players Involved: Kobe Bryant, Rick Barry, Bobby Jones, Sam Jones, Tom Chambers, Spencer Haywood, Mark Aguirre, Bill Bradley

Data Points: 53 All-Star appearances, 36 All-NBA/ABA teams, 23 All-Defensive teams, 22 titles, 6 Hall of Famers, 2 MVP Awards, 3 Finals MVP Awards

We discovered the talent pool for No. 24 was much deeper than No. 8. Kobe Bryant needed to be on this list, so the Mamba finds himself here.

Bryant and Barry are the clear headliners of this list, and for good reason. The mercurial duo boasts all three Finals MVP trophies here and 25 All-NBA/ABA teams. But the rest of these players mark a true difference between casual basketball fans and true hoop-heads.

If you underestimate the overwhelming nature of Haywood, who won an ABA MVP award as a rookie, or forget about the supreme talent and glue guy tendencies of 10-time NBA champion Sam Jones, then you have recency bias.

This goes for the rest of the list as well, like Bobby Jones (a maven on defense for the Sixers in the early '80s), Chambers (an All-Star Game MVP and elite bucket-getter in Phoenix and Seattle) and Aguirre (a competent lead scorer in Dallas who became a perfect role player for the Bad Boy Pistons).

As these guys didn't play in the era of YouTube, they aren't well remembered, but all served key roles on teams of major importance.

8) No. 3

Players Involved: Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson, Ben Wallace, Dennis Johnson, Steve Francis

Data Points: 46 All-Star appearances, 30 All-NBA teams, 27 All-Defensive teams, 7 titles, 2 Hall of Famers, 1 MVP Award, 2 Finals MVP Awards, 4 Defensive Player of the Year Awards

There seems to be something about No. 3 that brings out the swagger in its wearer.

With the exception of Johnson, a menacing defensive presence at point guard for the Sonics, Suns and Celtics, this list is made up of early and mid-2000s NBA folk heroes.

Though Paul's temperament makes him a polarizing player, his status as one of the best point guards in NBA history is undeniable. The same goes for Wade, whose playful arrogance is immortalized in one of the best photos in recent sports history, and Iverson, whose persona changed the NBA in material ways and spawned an endless collection of memes.

While Iverson is still celebrated far and wide, neither Francis nor Wallace carries a similar weight even though both were feared in their primes. Francis had one of the highest vertical leaps ever and dunked on everybody, while Big Ben, despite standing just 6'9", was the league's most feared rim protector for years and boasts all four of the Defensive Player of the Year Awards for this group.

Given the lack of depth, it's hard to rank this number any higher. But it might be the most purely fun collection of talent on this list.

7) No. 13

Players Involved: Wilt Chamberlain, James Harden, Steve Nash, Paul George, Joakim Noah, Doug Christie

Data Points: 37 All-Star appearances, 29 All-NBA teams, 13 All-Defensive teams, 2 titles, 2 Hall of Famers, 7 MVP Awards, 1 Finals MVP Award, 1 Defensive Player of the Year Award

On a statistical basis, there's an argument to put this quintet in the top three. Chamberlain accrued famously ludicrous stats (50 points per game over an entire season!), Nash and the "Seven Seconds or Less Suns" were far ahead of their time on offense, and Harden is often accused of being a stone-cold stat chaser.

But in a wild instance of superstition becoming reality, each of these wearers of No. 13 is defined by bad luck and what-ifs.

If only Chris Paul didn't get injured, then Harden and the Rockets could have won the 2018 title. If only Amar'e Stoudemire wasn't suspended, then Nash and the Suns could have won the 2007 title. If only Chamberlain cared more about team basketball and less about individual production. If only George didn't break his leg. If only Derrick Rose stayed healthy with Noah's Bulls. If only Tim Donaghy didn't referee the 2002 Western Conference Finals featuring Christie's Kings. And so on and so forth.

Chamberlain and Nash are already enshrined in Springfield, while Harden is a future lock, and George has a strong case. But whether it's a coincidence or something mystical, they're all remembered and thought of in relation to the things they could have or didn't accomplish.

6) No. 6

Players Involved: Julius Erving, Bill Russell, Tyson Chandler, Eddie Jones, Neil Johnston, DeAndre Jordan, Walter Davis, Willie Naulls

Data Points: 49 All-Star appearances, 35 All-NBA/ABA teams, 10 All-Defensive teams, 19 titles, 3 Hall of Famers, 9 MVP Awards, 1 Defensive Player of the Year Award

Russell and Erving are doing yeoman's work in lifting this group as high as it is.

Russell's record 11 titles and five MVP awards combine with his status as perhaps the best defensive player ever (he made just one All-Defensive team, but that honor wasn't given out until his final season, and there was no Defensive Player of the Year until 1982-83). Erving's dominance in both the ABA and NBA combined with stylistic innovations make him a top-15 player in league history as well.

While Russell and Erving's comrades here aren't the most highly consequential players, they all had careers of note as well.

Johnston was arguably just as important to the Philadelphia Warriors' success in the 1950s as the more famous Paul Arizin. Davis remains one of the top scorers in Phoenix Suns history. Jones served an important role as Shaquille O'Neal's original Lakers sidekick before Kobe came along. Naulls was a defensive maven for the Knicks who then transitioned into bench role-player status for a few Celtics title teams. Jordan and Chandler were both elite rim protectors for contenders in their respective heydays.

Though this group is a bit top-heavy, the sheer greatness of Russell and Erving is enough to lift it to the fringe of the top five.

5) No. 21

Players Involved: Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dominique Wilkins, Bill Sharman, Jimmy Butler, Dave Bing, Larry Costello, Michael Cooper, Alvin Robertson, Sidney Wicks, Gene Shue, Quinn Buckner, Joel Embiid

Data Points: 81 All-Star appearances, 51 All-Defensive teams, 49 All-NBA teams, 17 titles, 5 Hall of Famers, 3 MVP Awards, 3 Finals MVP Awards, 3 Defensive Player of the Year Awards

There's a case for this group to be even higher in these rankings. With the most players of any number on this list plus a dynamite top trio of Duncan, Garnett and Wilkins, the history of No. 21 in the NBA is storied.

Beyond those top three, though, this collection of players is great and provides a small peek into most eras of the sport.

From Sharman (an unheralded yet invaluable two-way contributor to the Russell-era Celtics) to Bing (one of the premier ball-handlers of the 1970s) to Cooper and Robertson (perhaps the top two perimeter defenders of the 1980s) all the way through Butler and Embiid in the present day, you're almost able to trace the history of the NBA through the wearers of No. 21.

After Duncan, Garnett and Wilkins, the talent level drops off a tad, which slightly lowers this group's ranking. But No. 21 has a terrific legacy in NBA history, and it will continue to live on through Embiid's present-day exploits (Butler wears No. 22 for the Heat now) and the brilliant highlights of his forebears.

4) No. 32

Players Involved: Karl Malone, Magic Johnson, Kevin McHale, Billy Cunningham, Blake Griffin, Dan Roundfield, Richard Hamilton, Bill Bridges, Bill Walton

Data Points: 55 All-Star appearances, 38 All-NBA/ABA teams, 19 All-Defensive teams, 13 titles, 5 Hall of Famers, 7 MVP Awards, 4 Finals MVP Awards

At No. 32, we've got the full spectrum of NBA careers.

On top is Magic Johnson. Anything you could want, he accomplished. A 12-time All-Star, five-time champion, three-time regular-season MVP and three-time Finals MVP, Magic's status as one of the greatest players in NBA history is earned.

Following Magic, we have major contributors to title-winners. This trio includes Kevin McHale (the best sixth man ever), Billy Cunningham (a 6'6" power forward, he may have been a small-ball precedent) and Richard Hamilton (a clutch scorer for the 2000s Pistons). Though these three are remembered to varying degrees, they all served important roles on history-making teams.

The final major category is the what-ifs. Here, we find Karl Malone (what if Michael Jordan didn't exist), Blake Griffin (what if he and Chris Paul got along) and Bill Walton (what if he stayed healthy). Each is still discussed regularly but could have done much more if a few things went differently.

No. 32 almost seems nostalgic today. Its wearers emitted a power that the league has bypassed in favor of perimeter-oriented play.

The sport's continued evolution is necessary, but an elite version of this type of player would be a welcome addition in 2020.

3) No. 23

Players Involved: LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Calvin Murphy, Anthony Davis, Marcus Camby, Lou Hudson, Jeff Mullins, Frank Ramsey, Draymond Green, T. R. Dunn

Data Points: 50 All-Star appearances, 32 All-NBA teams, 30 All-Defensive teams, 20 titles, 3 Hall of Famers, 9 MVP Awards, 9 Finals MVP Awards, 3 Defensive Player of the Year Awards

The most famous number in professional basketball—perhaps the most famous number in North American sports—does not reach the mountaintop.

On its face, this is a staggering collection of talent.

Jordan and LeBron are arguably the two greatest players in the history of the sport. Davis is primed to take over the NBA once LeBron retires. Green deserves as much credit for creating the league's small-ball era as Stephen Curry. Murphy and Hudson are two of the league's most underrated scorers. Camby was a high-level shot blocker. Even Mullins was ahead of his time as a pass-happy off-guard. But considering the two collections of players yet to be revealed, this is as high as this group can go.

With a few major weak points (Dunn, Mullins, Murphy and Ramsey barely meet the superstar criteria, while Green's and Davis' careers are still in progress), it seems top-heavy.

The importance of the No. 23 is not diminished in any way by its third-placed ranking. Jordan made it famous all over the world, while LeBron extended Jordan's legacy by donning it through most of his career. They just need one or two more top-tier contributors to top these rankings.

2) No. 34

Players Involved: Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley, Hakeem Olajuwon, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Clyde Lovellette, Mel Daniels, Giannis Antetokounmpo

Data Points: 73 All-Star appearances, 52 All-NBA/ABA teams, 14 All-Defensive teams, 15 titles, 6 Hall of Famers, 6 MVP Awards, 6 Finals MVP Awards, 2 Defensive Player of the Year Awards

When the worst player on a given list (by win shares) is Giannis Antetokounmpo, you know there's some talent to be had.

The top five wearers of No. 34 are an unassailable quintet. O'Neal and Olajuwon are arguably two of the 10 best players in NBA history. Shaq's TNT teammate Barkley, while ringless, is probably in the top 20. Allen is also a Hall of Famer now, and Pierce will be when his time comes, as the estranged former Celtics teammates helped unofficially usher in the league's current superteam era.

Even the three lower names here had great careers.

Lovellette won three titles with the Minneapolis Lakers and Celtics and made four All-Star teams in six years with the Lakers and the St. Louis Hawks. Daniels was the first great Indiana Pacer, though his stats are inflated due to the ABA's unorthodoxy. And of course, at just 25 years of age, Giannis will likely continue his rapid ascent up the historical pantheon for close to another decade.

Just putting this group of eight players in a paragraph together is chill-inducing. Each dominated the league over a period of years, and it'll be hard to top their collective accomplishments.

1) No. 33

Players Involved: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, Scottie Pippen, Grant Hill, Alonzo Mourning, Marc Gasol, David Thompson

Data Points: 71 All-Star appearances, 51 All-NBA/ABA Teams, 30 All-Defensive teams, 17 titles, 7 Hall of Famers, 9 MVP Awards, 4 Finals MVP Awards, 3 Defensive Player of the Year Awards

We said it would be hard to top the accomplishments of the No. 34 group. We didn't say it was impossible.

You could credibly argue that despite this group's top ranking, each individual player is actually underrated in history.

Kareem's often tense relationship with the media and fans obscures the fact that he put together the most sustained period of excellence by any NBA player and boasted the most unstoppable shot in basketball history. Highlights of the slower Bird showcase his wicked passing skills and ahead-of-its-time jumper. Ewing's prolonged silver medal to Michael Jordan elides the fact that he's the best Knick ever. We saw on Episodes 1 and 2 of The Last Dance just how underrated Pippen was.

Hill's injuries ruined a potentially league-changing career. If Mourning was on better teams, he'd be a top-50 player. Thompson's status as a pioneering dunker is overshadowed by Julius Erving and Darryl Dawkins. Gasol's heft often made his greatness seem accidental.

We could do this for a while.

Thankfully, this is 2020. Instead of continuing to underrate this octet, you can look them up on Basketball Reference and be dazzled by what you find.

All data courtesy of Basketball Reference.