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Keon Johnson Making NBA History With Jersey Number

No player that enters the NBA will be granted the No. 6 jersey after the league announced Thursday that Bill Russell’s iconic jersey number will be retired.

The news came less than two weeks after Russell passed away at the age of 88.

No new players will be allowed to select No. 6, but the 13 players currently wearing the number will be allowed to keep it throughout their careers. That includes players like LeBron James, Kristaps Porzingis and Portland Trail Blazers second-year pro Keon Johnson.

Johnson, who was acquired by the Blazers in a midseason trade for Robert Covington and Norman Powell last season, will be grandfathered into the retirement, allowing him to keep the number.