If you bought a rookie jersey on draft night, there is a good chance the number on the back is wrong. Three of the top four picks in the 2026 NBA Draft are not wearing the number they wore in college – and the one who kept his had to pay a teammate for it. That is the difference between a jersey your kid wears all season and a $130 mistake in a closet. Here is the verified rundown of the class, and how to buy NBA draft rookie jerseys 2026 without getting burned.
The 2026 Draft Class: Who Went Where
The draft ran on June 24, 2026, and the top of the board went chalk. AJ Dybantsa (BYU) went No. 1 overall to the Wizards – shop the Dybantsa jersey at Hoop Shop Online. Darryn Peterson (Kansas) went No. 2 to the Utah Jazz. Cameron Boozer (Duke) went No. 3 to the Memphis Grizzlies, and Caleb Wilson (North Carolina) went No. 4 to the Chicago Bulls. Four picks, four different number stories, and only one that matches college.
What Each Top Rookie Actually Wears
- AJ Dybantsa – No. 4, Washington Wizards. He wore No. 3 at BYU and could not take it in Washington, because Trae Young already has it. Dybantsa spent draft night needling Young about it before revealing the real answer in D.C.: he added his old 3 to his No. 1 draft slot and landed on 4, calling it “new beginnings.” The No. 1 overall pick does not wear No. 1.
- Darryn Peterson – No. 22, Utah Jazz. He wore 22 in high school and at Kansas as a tribute to his father, Darryl – and he kept it. But Kyle Filipowski had worn 22 in Utah since 2024, so Peterson paid him to hand it over. Filipowski moved to No. 2. If you own a Filipowski 22, it is already out of date.
- Cameron Boozer – No. 27, Memphis Grizzlies. He wore No. 12 at Duke and switched, revealing 27 at the NBA rookie photo shoot in mid-July. The reason is a good one: his mother wore 27 playing college volleyball. Plenty of Duke fans bought a Boozer 12 out of habit.
- Caleb Wilson – No. 8, Chicago Bulls. The only clean carryover of the group. He wore 8 in his lone season at North Carolina and kept it in Chicago, after wearing 24 in high school. Both are Kobe Bryant numbers, which is the entire point.
The rule to shop by: a rookie’s college number is a guess, not a fact, until his team posts it. Veterans hold numbers, and rookies work around them.
The Draft-Night Jersey With No Number On It
There is a second trap that catches buyers every June. Retailers list a generic “2026 NBA Draft First Round Pick” jersey the moment the picks come in. It is tied to the draft slot, not the player – there is no player number on it at all. Some collectors want exactly that, but if you are buying it expecting a Dybantsa 4 or a Boozer 27, you will be disappointed when it arrives.
Know this before you personalise anything: at store.nba.com, custom name-and-number jerseys are non-returnable. Fanatics’ Jersey Assurance does cover a trade, a trade-driven number change or a free-agency signing – roughly 90 days from purchase, up to a year on an eligible American Express card. But a rookie choosing his number is not a trade, so it is not covered. Wait for the official announcement, then order.
Are Rookie Jerseys Actually Worth Buying?
Last season answered that. Cooper Flagg finished ninth on the NBA’s official 2025-26 top-selling jersey list – the only rookie on it, up from 11th at midseason, and ahead of established stars like Nikola Jokic and Kevin Durant. Rookie jerseys are not a novelty purchase any more. The right one holds its value and its relevance for years.
This class has a real case for the same treatment. The Rookie of the Year market has Peterson and Boozer as co-favourites around +330, Dybantsa near +380 and Wilson around +425. Boozer opened as the favourite; Peterson climbed after Summer League, where he posted a game-high 25 points, 12 assists and two steals on 53% shooting in a 109-100 Salt Lake City win over Boozer’s Grizzlies. Boozer answered with 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists and 4-for-5 from three.
Buy Before October 21
The urgency is on the schedule. Boozer and Peterson make their NBA debuts against each other – the Jazz open at Memphis on Wednesday, October 21, 7 p.m. CT at FedExForum. Dybantsa’s Wizards open the same night at home against the Milwaukee Bucks. The season tips off October 20, when the champion New York Knicks raise their banner against LeBron James and the Philadelphia 76ers. Stitched authentics and personalised builds ship slower than stock swingmans, so order early.
Know the official price tiers so you can spot a fake: replica $45-$85, swingman $120-$130, authentic $200 and up. A brand-new “authentic” rookie jersey at $40 is not real. And if a number could still move, buy the swingman – printed twill costs less to walk away from than stitched tackle twill.
Numbers move even for stars. Ja Morant switched from 12 to 1 after Memphis traded him to the Portland Trail Blazers for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray on June 29, five days after this draft. Giannis Antetokounmpo wears No. 7 with the Miami Heat, not the 34 he left in Milwaukee. Check before you click buy.
Top NBA Jerseys to Buy Right Now
- Cameron Boozer No. 27, Memphis Grizzlies – co-favourite for Rookie of the Year on a rebuilding roster that will hand him minutes immediately. Shop the Boozer jersey at Hoop Shop Online.
- Darryn Peterson No. 22, Utah Jazz – the Summer League standout of the class, wearing the number he paid a teammate to keep. Grab the Peterson jersey at Hoop Shop Online.
- Caleb Wilson No. 8, Chicago Bulls – the safest number in the class and the only top-four pick who did not change it. Get the Wilson jersey at Hoop Shop Online.
Shop Official NBA Fan Gear
Every jersey, hat, hoodie and tee above is available now at Hoop Shop Online – the NBA shop online built for fans who want the real thing at a fair price. Whether you are chasing NBA jerseys 2026 for the incoming rookie class or want to buy NBA fan gear for a roster that just retooled, start at hoopshoponline.com and get it in hand before opening night.