No. 22 is the third jersey story in a 52-number arc spanning the Nets’ entire franchise history, from the ABA era as the New Jersey Americans to the modern Brooklyn Nets. The No. 22 lineage has been worn by 31 players, a thread that ties decades of the franchise to a single digit. The first No. 22 in the Nets era belonged to Ron Brewer, a guard out of Arkansas who was a 1978 top-10 pick and hopped across multiple NBA stops before landing in New Jersey in 1985. Brewer wore only No. 22 for the Nets, contributing 10.4 points per game over 11 games before moving on to the Bulls.

The Nets jersey-number chronicle, now chronicled by Nets Wire, isn’t about one great No. 22 season; it’s about a long, evolving thread that speaks to the franchise’s turnover and resilience. The club’s origin traces back to the ABA as the New Jersey Americans, later becoming the New York Nets and New Jersey Nets before adopting the Brooklyn Nets moniker. The 22 jersey is a reminder of how a single digit can carry the weight of a franchise’s evolving identity and its occasional flash of scoring through the years. Basketball Reference remains the source for Brewer’s stat line and the broader history this feature celebrates.

Brooklyn Nets jersey No. 22 weaves a long arc through the franchise’s ABA-to-NBA passage. No. 22 is the 23rd of 52 numbers worn since 1967 by 31 players, a lineage that mirrors the club’s evolution from New York/ABA to New Jersey and, today, Brooklyn. Jan van Breda Kolff is the 13th wearer, a figure who joined via the dispersal draft in 1976 after a path that included Denver, Virginia Squires and Kentucky Colonels. Across seven seasons with the Nets, he logged 6.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game, a profile emblematic of versatile depth rather than a one-note scorer.

Nets Wire’s jersey-number chronicle traces the No. 22 thread across 52 digits and 31 players, underscoring how a single digit can tether eras, rosters and fan memory as the franchise moved from the ABA era into the NBA’s modern era. The tale touches Denver Nuggets, Virginia Squires and Kentucky Colonels before looping through New York/NJ/Brooklyn chapters, illustrating how legacy numbers signal culture more than predictive fantasy output. For fantasy managers, the key takeaway is that lineage matters for narrative and roster recognition, but production comes from minutes, usage and role clarity—not the sweater’s digit.

The Nets’ No. 22 jersey carries a compact, enduring arc through ABA origins to today’s Brooklyn era. Across 52 numbers, 31 players have worn No. 22, with Roger Phegley as the 12th Nets wearer. Phegley’s 28-game stint in 1980-81 yielded 11.7 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 1.1 APG, a snapshot of a guard providing scoring spark in a transitional Nets squad. The number’s lineage mirrors franchise evolution from New Jersey Americans to New Jersey Nets to Brooklyn Nets, emphasizing how a single digit can anchor a team’s identity across decades.

No. 22’s history isn’t about one star but a tapestry of era-defining rosters, trades, and rotations. The Nets’ jersey lore—anchored by Phegley’s era and the broader 31-player group—offers fantasy-minded readers a lens on minutes, usage, and role stability across eras. It’s a reminder that jersey numbers can become cultural artifacts that inform how we view players whose ceiling is tied to a specific era, scheme, or roster dynamic.

The Brooklyn Nets have a storied history with 52 jersey numbers worn by more than 600 players since their inception in 1967. The franchise, initially the New Jersey Americans, has undergone multiple name changes before settling on the Brooklyn Nets. To honor the legacy of players who wore these jerseys, Nets Wire is profiling the history of each number. Among them, jersey No. 21 has seen 26 players don its fabric, with David Burns being the second player to wear it during the New Jersey Nets era. Burns, selected 49th overall in the 1981 NBA draft, had a short stint with the team, averaging 2.3 points and 1.3 rebounds over three games.