The Brooklyn Nets have 52 jersey numbers worn by over 600 different players over the course of their history since the franchise was founded in 1967 as a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA), when the team was known as the “New Jersey Americans”.
Since then, that league has been absorbed by the NBA with the team that would later become the New York Nets and New Jersey Nets before settling on the name by which they are known today, bringing their rich player and jersey history with them to the league of today.
To commemorate the players who played for the Nets over the decades wearing those 52 different jersey numbers, Nets Wire is covering the entire history of the franchise’s jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team.
And for today’s article, we will continue with the fifth of 15 people to wear the No. 31 jersey, forward alum Mike O’Koren. After ending his college career at UNC, O’Koren was picked up with the sixth overall selection of the 1980 NBA Draft by the (then) New Jersey (now, Brooklyn) Nets.
The Jersey City, New Jersey native would play the first six seasons of his pro career with New Jersey before he was dealt to the (then) Washington Bullets (now, Wizards) in 1986, only to sign with the Boston Celtics and be dealt back to New Jersey to finish his career in the NBA in 1987.
During his time suiting up for the Nets, O’Koren wore only jersey No. 31 and put up 8.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game.
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Brooklyn Nets jersey history No. 31 – Mike O’Koren (1980-87)
Reporting by Justin Quinn, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
