Pelicans' Jeremiah Fears reveals origin behind No. 0 jersey selection
Fears revealed last month that he wore No. 2 throughout most of his basketball career. He was forced to change when he arrived at the University of Oklahoma last year, since senior guard Brycen Goodine had already claimed it entering the season.
The 18-year-old ultimately decided on wearing No. 0 with the Sooners, playing into the "Zero Fears" jersey number-name combination. He immediately fell in love with it.
"Once I got to college, somebody already had two, so I'm like, 'I can't get that number,"' Fears said. "They told me all the numbers that were available, and I'm like, 'Zero; Agent Zero.' Then people started going with 'Zero Fears,' and I'm like, 'Yeah, that is crazy; that is dope.' I just continued to wear zero, and hopefully, throughout my whole career, I'll have zero, as well."
Fears was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team last season, averaging 17.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.6 steals on 43.4% shooting from the field in 34 games. He ranked seventh in the conference in scoring and seventh among all freshmen in the country.
The 6-foot-4 standout debuted with the Pelicans in the NBA Summer League, averaging 17.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals on 40% shooting from the field in five appearances. He finished off his stay in the desert with a 22-point, seven-rebound effort on July 18.
Fears enters the season with the seventh-best odds of winning Rookie of the Year. He is expected to play an integral role with the Pelicans and will do so with a familiar look on the court.
Note: Throughout August, Rookie Wire is looking at every first-round pick and why each player selected their respective jersey number as they make the jump to the NBA.
Previous: Cooper Flagg | Dylan Harper | VJ Edgecombe | Kon Knueppel | Ace Bailey | Tre Johnson
This article originally appeared on Rookie Wire: Pelicans news: Jeremiah Fears reveals origin behind No. 0 selection
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