In North American sport, getting a jersey number retired is the one of the highest honors an athlete can get. (Some non-athletes get their "numbers" retired too; we'll get to that.) And, unless you talk about a team with consistent championship culture (your Yankees, your Lakers, your Canadiens — ok, maybe the last one not so much anymore), very few numbers get retired.

The Portland Trail Blazers have only one NBA championship since their inception in 1977. However, they have 12 numbers retired (including #30 twice?). Some of those are obvious: #22 for Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler and #32 for all-time great Bill Walton. Some are head-scratches, like one of the #30s... for someone named Bob Gross.

In his seven years with the Blazers, Gross averaged nine points, 4.5 rebounds, and three assists a game, numbers as pedestrian as one can imagine. And yet, his number is retired, because he was considered the "glue guy" on their one championship team.

Amazingly, Gross is not the only Jew whose number is honored by the Blazers. They also retired #1... for original team owner Larry Weinberg. (We told you we'll get to that!)