Zach LaVine started his NBA career with the Minnesota Timberwolves after being drafted 13th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Initially wanting to wear number 14 on his jersey in tribute to his father Paul who wore that number in the NFL, LaVine gave up on that idea when he entered the Timberwolves locker room.
LaVine shared this funny anecdote with Montenegrin center Nikola Pekovic on The WAE Show:
"Before I arrived to NBA, I got used to wearing number 14, I didn't want to take number 8 initially," LaVine started.
"My father also wore 14, so I wanted to take my number for my rookie year, and then I saw Pekovic, man. Number 14 was in his possession and I couldn't ask him to give me it."
"I got scared honestly. He weighed nearly 140 kg, you just get into the gym and see a 140 kg dude from Montenegro do a series of 25 pull-ups, I'm not asking that dude. So, I just chose 8 because I was a Kobe Bryant fan," he concluded.