POPULARITY OF KOBE NUMBERED.

Byline: ROSS SILER Staff Writer

PHOENIX - If sales of his No. 8 jersey are the best indication of Kobe Bryant's popularity, the superstar guard not only won the first scoring title of his career this season, he rebounded more than any player in the NBA off the court as well.

Bryant's jersey finished the season ranked in the top five in sales as measured both by the NBA and an independent group that tracks sporting good sales at the retail level. Back in December 2004, Bryant had no jersey in the top 20.

His first television commercial since sexual assault charges were dropped against him debuted in February and his new signature Nike sneaker was released soon after.

Now Bryant is set to make his biggest break from the past, switching to No. 24 next season and rendering the hundreds of thousands of No. 8 jerseys sold in the 10 years since he came to the Lakers instant collector's items.

Bryant refused to explain his reasons for the change at the Lakers' shootaround Wednesday. A Lakers spokesman pre-empted questions from reporters by telling them Bryant would not talk about his new number until after the playoffs.

"We're in the playoffs," Bryant said. "I'll be more than excited to talk about it. But not right now. It's not the appropriate time right now. It's playoff time right now."

There's little precedent for the step Bryant is taking. Michael Jordan famously returned to basketball wearing No. 45, though his No. 23 had been retired by the Chicago Bulls while he pursued a baseball career.

Shaquille O'Neal had to switch from No. 32 to No. 34 when he came to the Lakers from Orlando. Magic Johnson's No. 32 had been retired by the Lakers four years before O'Neal arrived.

Bryant won three championships wearing No. 8, which he said he chose by adding the digits of the number (143) he wore at the ABCD camp in high school.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson did change from wearing No.18 as a player with the NewYork Knicks to No. 17 when he played with the Nets.

"Guys do that when they change teams occasionally," Jackson said. "But I haven't heard that many guys that have changed it when they're with the same team."

Jackson joined in the speculation concerning the significance of the new number. He noted that 24 is "1 over 23," referring to Jordan's famed number. Bryant also wore the number at the start of his high school career.

The Lakers said they would retire whatever number Bryant wanted when that day comes. They also noted that Bryant's decision to make the change came before the team acquired veteran guard Jim Jackson, the team's current No. 24.

Bryant asked the Lakers to submit a request for the change to the league before the March3 deadline. Once he wears No. 24, Bryant cannot change numbers for another three seasons, a league spokesman said.

Bryant's jersey sales have been strong this season. The NBA reported last week that Bryant ranked fourth in popularity for jerseys sold through its retail store and online store. He trailed only Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Allen Iverson.

By another measure, Bryant's home No. 8 jersey was the third best-seller at retail outlets last month, according to Neil Schwartz, director of business development at SportScan INFO, which tracks sales information from sporting goods retailers.

The only jerseys more popular than Bryant's belonged to Wade and James. The league's top players sell more than 100,000 jerseys in a year, Schwartz said.

"I don't know if it's been a turnaround as much as it's stabilized itself," Schwartz said of Bryant's popularity. "I think it's coming back."

Bryant's signature shoe ranked 36th in sales for last month, numbers Schwartz did not consider especially strong. There is also the question of whether casual fans will support a number change by Bryant.

"Obviously, his reputation has taken some major hits over the last couple of years," Schwartz said. "He has made a little resurgence recently, which is good for him."

CAPTION(S):

2 boxes

Box:

(1) NUMB ON NUMBERS

(2) FAMOUS 24s