REGENSBURG (David Hein's Eye on the Future) - Research makes up a major portion of a journalist's workday. After hours and hours of looking and looking, and looking some more, occasionally an eyebrow will be raised.

Spending way too much time scouring through rosters of teams in various leagues around Europe this season, something odd continued to pop up. Wait, that's another player. Oh, here's another. Huh? Another one here? And they're all wearing No. 77.

Where are all these No. 77s coming from … wait … nah … it can't be. Is this a byproduct of the worldwide stardom of Luka Doncic? Are more players picking the number because of the 22-year-old Slovenia national team and Dallas Mavericks superstar?

Well, many players do choose their numbers because their idol or role model wore them. But is that now happening with Luka Doncic?

Oh no … this is a rabbit hole and and the only way out are way too many more hours. But let's give it a shot.

Let's start with the fact that No. 77 isn't that common of a number. So, figuring this out could be possible.

Besides Doncic, the only other active player in the NBA wearing that number is Omer Yurtseven with the Miami Heat. The Turkish center wore No. 7 in the G-League last season but Kyle Lowery has that number with the Heat. So, No. 77 it is … though Yurtseven did play with 77 at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament this past summer.

Omer Yurtseven of Turkey

Doncic actually ran into that same No. 7 dilemma upon his arrival in the NBA. The Slovenian had worn number 7 throughout his career with Real Madrid -  because he idolized Greek guard legend Vassilis Spanoulis. But upon joining the Dallas Mavericks in 2018, Dwight Powell was in his fourth season of wearing No. 7 for the Mavs. And the rookie couldn't take it from Powell.

But Doncic didn't join the NBA until 2018. Didn't he wear No. 77 as he helped Slovenia to the magical FIBA EuroBasket 2017 title? Yep, but that was because Klemen Prepelic - seven years Doncic's elder - had long been wearing No. 7 for Slovenija. So, Luka went with double-7s.

Over the course of his first three seasons in the NBA, Doncic has developed into an absolute superstar and a contender for the MVP award - not to mention an icon worldwide, especially back in Europe.

So, what about this perceived increase in guys running around courts with 77 on their backs? And how can this even be proven?

Well, let's at least present some numbers.

Before we go too far …. here is a little history lesson. Of course, players have their free choice of numbers at the club level - as long as another player doesn't already have that number. But as far as the national team competitions go, it's worth noting that FIBA only in 2015 allowed players to wear any number they wanted, breaking away from the previous regulation where teams could only have numbers 4 to 15.

Since we are talking national teams, let us start with those.

Johannes Voigtmann of Germany at FIBA EuroBasket 2015

Germany's Johannes Voigtmann was the first to use No. 77 at the FIBA EuroBasket 2015. Doncic joined him in 2017 as did Lithuanian Arturas Gudaitis. At the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019, the only player to wear the number was Poland's Damian Kulig while Voigtmann interestingly enough was donning No. 7. As it turns out, Voigtmann chose No. 77 at EuroBasket 2015 because No. 7 was taken by Alex King, who was 7 years older than Voigtmann. Of course King was 7 years older, that just fits in with the story.

While Doncic was the only player to wear 77 at the FIBA Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament 2020, it was Doncic, Kulig and Yurtseven to wear No. 77 in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.

Kristian Kullamae of Estonia proudly wearing No. 77

The last FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers window in February 2019 saw a total of six players wear No. 77 - Gudaitis, Kristian Kullamae (Estonia), Miralem Halilovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Morgan Stilma (Netherlands), Obrad Tomic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Victor Arteaga (Spain).

What about other national team competitions?

Well, three players from the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers decided on the number: Pratyanshu Tomar (India), Chitchai Ananti (Thailand) and Ibrahim Hamati (Jordan). And Nicaraguan Romario Ponce had it at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Americas Pre-Qualifiers.

There were no No. 77s at neither FIBA AfroBasket 2021 nor FIBA U18 African Championship 2020, but Egyptian Mohamed Hussein choose the number at the FIBA U16 African Championship 2021.

Louis Lesmond wore No. 77 at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2021

No one decided to wear the number at FIBA U16 Americas Championship 2021, but Iranian Ali Shahyari and Louis Lesmond of France both donned the number at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2021.

Number 77 is certainly more common in Doncic's home continent, though. And since there were no European youth championships in the summer of 2020, maybe a trend could be found by looking at this past summer's Challengers events and the youth competitions prior to the pandemic.

Four players at each of the FIBA U20 European Championships in 2018 and 2019 - combining the Divisions A and B - wore the number while three players picked 77 at the FIBA U20 European Challengers 2021.

Athanasios Bazinas at the 2021 FIBA U18 European Challengers

At the FIBA U18 European Championship level, there were three No. 77s in 2018 - combining divisions A, B and C - and two in 2019. But six youngsters wanted No. 77 at the 2021 FIBA U18 European Challengers.

Ah … now we’re getting somewhere. It's the kids who are looking up to Doncic and we are seeing more want to take his number, right?

Well, the numbers at the U16 European level don't quite confirm that. There were three players at each of the 2018 and 2019 FIBA U16 European Championships - again combining the three divisions - but just two at the 2021 FIBA U16 European Challengers.

What else can we read from the selection of players who wore No. 77? Well, 23 of the 30 players across those three age groups are listed as one of the guard positions or small forward with two more designated solely as forward. Luka Doncic's position? Playmaking guard in a forward's body. Okay, there is an argument in there.

What about the professional club level?

Let's take a look at three pan-European leagues.

The EuroLeague has seen the same three players wear the number this season and last season - Gudaitis with Zenit St. Petersburg, Shaquielle McKissic at Olympiacos Piraeus and Joffrey Lauvergne at Zalgiris Kaunas. And Lauverge and McKissic wore the number in 2019-20. In the EuroCup, there are three players with the number this season after two last season.

Now moving to the Basketball Champions League. In the maiden season of the competition in 2016-17, there was one player with the number. There were three players in 2017-18, followed by two players then four players the next two campaigns. That number skyrocketed to 11 players in 2020-21. It remains high for the current campaign with six players.

Aleksej Nikolic wearing his usual No. 6 for Slovenia - next to Mr. No. 77

One of the 2021-22 sextet is Steve Zack of Hereda San Pablo Burgos. The American is worth mentioning because his teammate is Aleksej Nikolic, who is wearing No. 7. Nikolic, of course, was a member of the Slovenia team that won the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 title with Doncic. Nikolic wears number 6 with Slovenia yet wore No. 7 at Brose Bamberg in 2017-18, No. 5 in 2019-20 with De Longhi Treviso and then No. 6 with BCM Gravelines Dunkerque last season. And in the 2018-19 season with Partizan Belgrade, Nikolic was wearing No. 77 because Aleksandar Aranitovic had already been wearing No. 7. Number 6 was available though.

That brings us back to the beginning. Why did Nikolic pick No. 77 and not another number? What about the others?

Well, one certain conclusion is that some players pick 77 because 7 is already taken. What we really don't know is if Luka Doncic is another reason. But at least we are a little closer to figuring it out.

David Hein
FIBA

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