Kings' Alex Karaban chose new jersey number because of Dan Hurley

Alex Karaban will wear a different jersey number with the Sacramento Kings as a nod to a Hall of Famer, and the rookie can thank UConn coach Dan Hurley for the inspiration. Karaban wore No. 21 in high school throughout his various stops at Algonquin Regional, New Hampton and the IMG Academy. With th

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Alex Karaban will wear a different jersey number with the Sacramento Kings as a nod to a Hall of Famer, and the rookie can thank UConn coach Dan Hurley for the inspiration.

Karaban wore No. 21 in high school throughout his various stops at Algonquin Regional, New Hampton and the IMG Academy. With that number taken upon joining the Huskies, Karaban opted to wear No. 11 over his extraordinary career in Storrs.

The 29th overall pick chose to wear No. 33 with the Kings, since No. 11 is occupied by Domantas Sabonis and No. 21 is retired to honor Vlade Divac. He picked it because of Larry Bird, who donned it over his 13-year career with the Boston Celtics.

"Coach Hurley called me Larry Bird a couple of times in practice, so it felt fitting going with

33," Karaban said last month, via the NBA on X. "Larry Bird is a Celtics legend, and I grew up a Celtics fan in Massachusetts, so it just felt fitting."

A two-time champion, Karaban left the Huskies as the all-time leader in wins (126), starts (150), minutes (4,906) and 3-pointers (292), while he is sixth in scoring (1,880). He became the first active player in program history to be inducted into the Huskies of Honor.

The 23-year-old logged five appearances with the Kings in summer league, averaging 8.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists while shooting 33.3% from 3-point range. He finished in double figures twice, including a 21-point effort on July 15.

Karaban established himself as a first-round pick at UConn because of his offensive skill set, maturity and leadership qualities. The team was ecstatic to add him to the roster and is eager to see him take the court next season.

Throughout August, Rookie Wire is looking at every first-round pick and why each player selected their respective jersey number as they make the jump to the NBA