Brooklyn Nets jersey history No. 15 - Bill Bunting (1970-71)
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. The 17th of those 52 different numbers is jersey No. 15 which has has had a total of 14 players wear the number in the history of the team.
The first of those players wearing No. 16 played in the (then) New York (now, Brooklyn) Nets era, forward alum Bill Bunting. After ending his college career at UNC, Bunting was picked up with the 26th overall selection of the 1969 NBA draft by the New York Knicks.
The New Bern, North Carolina native would play the first # seasons of his pro career with the ABA's (defunct) Carolina Cougars instead. That ended with a trade to New York in 1970, his stay with the team spanning just 39 games of one season before he was dealt to the (also defunct) Virginia Squires.
During his time suiting up for the Nets, Bunting wore only jersey Nos. 15 and 3, and put up 4.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Report: Nets haven't "significantly engaged" with RFA Cam Thomas yet
The Brooklyn Nets have had an interesting offseason thus far as they selected five players in the 2025 NBA Draft and traded for forward Michael Porter Jr. in the early days of free-agency. At this point, Brooklyn has one game left in the Las Vegas Summer League to evaluate players, but it looks like they haven't come to the table for one of their most important players. "Sources say that the Nets, in fact, have yet to even significantly engage their own restricted free agent: Scoring guard Cam Thomas," NBA insider Jake Fischer wrote during his latest article on the restricted free-agent (RFA) market. As of this writing, RFAs like Thomas, Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, and Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey have yet to be signed despite all coming off solid seasons. While Thomas is one of the best players on Brooklyn's roster heading into the 2025-26 season, the Nets could also be playing matters close to the vest given what the free-agent market looks like right now. Thomas being restricted gives the Nets leverage in the situation as they can match an offer that he receives from another team, but it seems like those offers are not coming in due to most teams not having much cap space to work with. Thomas, 23, is coming off the best season of his four-year career as he averaged 24.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 43.8% from the field and 34.9% from three-point land. The main issue for Thomas is that he is entering restricted free-agency during a time where most teams don't have the cap space to pry him away from the Nets and the best season of his career came in just a 25-game sample size. ESPN's Tim MacMahon said recently in his appearance on "The Brooklyn Boys" podcast that Thomas is ready to sign his new contract, but Brooklyn is not in as much of a rush to do so. Over the course of the 2024-25 season, Thomas was one of 19 players to average at least 24.0 points and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 43.8% from the field. This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Report: Nets haven't "significantly engaged" with RFA Cam Thomas yet
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Nets' Cam Thomas pushes back against narrative he isn't impactful
Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas is in the midst of his first foray into NBA free-agency ever since he came into the league as the 27th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Thomas has been one of the more polarizing players that Brooklyn has had over the years and he took the time to respond to narratives about his game that he feels are incorrect. "The consensus on Cam Thomas — if there is one, and he's got some fans, and he's got some mega-detractors - but the consensus is kind of like empty calories ball hog," The Ringer's Zach Lowe said of Thomas during a recent episode of "The Zach Lowe Show." Lowe, accompanied by Nekias Duncan, co-host of "The Dunker Spot" podcast, was asking Duncan for his opinion of Thomas as he waits for his next contract in restricted free-agency. "The consensus? (Expletive) you and the consensus," Thomas said in his post on X responding to what Lowe said about what the consensus thinks about his game. "This is most likely the same consensus teams who can't guard me and send double teams from jump ball. Why are we double teaming a guy who's 'not that good' make it make sense please." Thomas, 23, heads in restricted free-agency after his best season in the NBA in which he averaged 24.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 43.8% from the field and 34.9% from three-point land. While Thomas had a career-best season in 2024-25, he also played just 25 games as he dealt with a troublesome left hamstring that ended his season in March. Thomas, who has yet to be signed by Brooklyn or anyone else, has not been "significantly engaged" by the Nets regarding his next contract, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer. Thomas' situation, while concerning to Brooklyn fans who want the guard to return to the Nets as soon as possible, doesn't seem to be entirely unusual given that all of the big-name restricted free-agents, like Thomas, Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga and Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey, remain unsigned as well. This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets' Cam Thomas pushes back against narrative he isn't impactful
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Kyrie Irving clears air on relationship with Kevin Durant, playing together with Nets
Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant appeared to be very close friends prior to their tenure as teammates on the Brooklyn Nets. Their off-the-court relationship was a big part of the reason why they chose to team up with one another. There has been speculation that the way things soured in Brooklyn has fractured the nature of their relationship, with some fans even suggesting that the two may no longer be friends. Irving cleared the air on their relationship. "I'd like to just say this as a disclaimed, okay," Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving revealed Tuesday. "Me and KD are not beefing. I'm not beefing with Steve Nash. I'm not beefing with anybody, you guys. This is not personal against KD." Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp Irving later touched on sharing the court with the 2013-14 MVP. "I will say this," Irving stated. "The 7/11 duo of me and KD will never be topped in terms of just being on the court with somebody that special. So, let me get that disclaimer out. Let me get that disclaimer. I've played with a lot of great players, but playing with KD -- that was OD. One of the best of all-time." Irving and Durant thrived on the court during their limited time as teammates. There were far too many off-the-court distractions, however, which ultimately led to the duo both being traded during the 2022-23 season. While there has been speculation that there could be bad blood between the two superstars, Irving's comments suggest that they remain on good terms. The two stars once again shared the court as teammates at the 2025 All-Star Game. More NBA:
