Report: Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie changing jersey number out of respect for Kobe Bryant

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Several NBA players have begun "informally retiring" Kobe Bryant's jersey number in wake of his tragic death, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie is one of those players.

Charania announced on Tuesday that the 26-year-old was changing his jersey number from No. 8 to No. 26 out of respect for Bryant. Dinwiddie wasted no time confirming the report, tweeting "Everything in life evolves. #26 🙏🏾" seconds later.

Marc Stein of The New York Times added that the NBA usually makes players wait until the start of a new season to change a jersey number. Dinwiddie, however, has reportedly been granted permission to make the switch.

Having grown up in Los Angeles, Dinwiddie has long idolized Bryant. He told Alex Schiffer of The Athletic recently that Bryant is "by far my favourite player of all time."

Dinwiddie was emotional talking about Bryant following Brooklyn's game against the New York Knicks on Sunday, specifically when describing a recent interaction with Bryant in which he told Dinwiddie that he's an All-Star in his book.

Dinwiddie is averaging 21.2 points, 6.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game this season. He was the driving force in Brooklyn's climb up the Eastern Conference standings while Kyrie Irving was out with an injury.

The views expressed here do not represent those of the NBA or its clubs.

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Scott Rafferty is a Senior NBA Editor for The Sporting News