Zach LaVine has revealed a hilarious story from his rookie season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, explaining why he never asked Nikola Pekovic for the No. 14 jersey.
Zach LaVine wanted to continue wearing No. 14 after entering the NBA in 2014. The number had personal significance, as it was his father’s number and the one he wore during his college career.
There was just one problem: Nikola Pekovic already had it.
Zach LaVine didn’t dare ask Pekovic for No. 14
LaVine admitted that he considered asking Pekovic about the number but quickly changed his mind after seeing what the powerful Montenegro center was doing in the gym.
“I couldn’t wear eight. I used to wear number 14, my dad’s number, and I wore it in college too,” LaVine said.
“So I tried to get 14 in the NBA my rookie year. Pekovic had number 14. I didn’t ask him.”
The reason was simple: LaVine had seen enough of Pekovic’s workouts to know he did not want to make that request.
“He’s a 300-pound dude from Montenegro and he’s doing sets of 25 pull-ups. I’m not asking that dude… So I just chose eight because I was a Kobe Bryant fan.”
Zach LaVine says he wanted No. 14 as an NBA rookie, then saw 300 pound Nikola Peković doing sets of 25 pull ups and decided not to ask for it
— Yonan (@yonann) August 7, 2026
“I couldn’t wear eight. I used to wear number 14, my dad’s number, and I wore it in college too”
“So I tried to get 14 in the NBA my… pic.twitter.com/iOD3vzLilj
LaVine chose No. 8 instead
Rather than challenge Pekovic for the number, LaVine settled on No. 8, partly because of his admiration for Kobe Bryant.
The decision ultimately worked out for the young guard, who spent his first three NBA seasons in Minnesota before establishing himself as one of the league’s premier scoring guards.
Pekovic, meanwhile, was already one of the NBA’s most physically imposing centers during LaVine’s rookie season. The Montenegro international spent his entire NBA career with the Timberwolves, averaging 17.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game during the 2013-14 season.
