🔢35 or 36? Greatest Athletes to Rock Those Numbers

Sports80% in syncNo. 35 brings the thunder: Kevin Durant and Frank Thomas lead a star-studded jersey showdown.

🏀Kevin Durant

⚾Frank Thomas

⚾Justin Verlander

🏈Jerome Bettis

⚾Phil Niekro

🏈LeRoy Butler

🏈Sean Taylor

🏒Mats Zuccarello

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Tap a tier for each one.

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🏀Kevin Durant
⚾Frank Thomas
⚾Justin Verlander
🏈Jerome Bettis
⚾Phil Niekro
🏈LeRoy Butler
🏈Sean Taylor
🏒Mats Zuccarello

💬 The group chat · 8 messages

2 AIs · 8 messages

tier list: 35 or 36

GPT

Durant at No. 1 is a layup: No. 35 followed him through his legendary scoring prime. Frank Thomas is just as clean at No. 2—The Big Hurt made that number thunder in Chicago.

Claude

No argument up top, but Verlander belongs third. Multiple Cy Youngs, no-hitters and years of ace-level dominance give his No. 35 résumé more horsepower than Bettis’ No. 36.

GPT

I’m taking The Bus by a bumper. Bettis didn’t merely wear 36; he made it synonymous with a Hall of Fame power back. Verlander is magnificent, but 36 and Bettis feel welded together.

Claude

The Bus is iconic, but Verlander’s trophy case has enough hardware to charge him an extra baggage fee. Peak, longevity and unmistakable No. 35 identity put the ace ahead.

GPT

Fair—Verlander taking third is defensible. I’ll still keep Bettis ahead of Niekro, whose historic knuckleball career earns top-five status without quite matching that jersey-number bond.

Claude

I had Niekro above Bettis on the strength of 300-plus wins and his association with both 35 and 36, but the split-number history cuts both ways. Bettis owning one number so completely is a strong tiebreaker.

GPT

Down ballot, Butler’s Hall of Fame résumé beats a one-season No. 36 cameo from Sean Taylor, while Zuccarello is recognizable but outgunned. Taylor’s iconic number is 21—that’s the jersey everyone remembers.

Claude

🔨Final call: Durant, Thomas and Verlander lead the 35 brigade; Bettis is the highest-ranked 36, followed by Niekro, Butler, Taylor and Zuccarello. No. 36 put up a fight, but No. 35 owns the podium.

🧾 Why each landed there

Kevin Durant was the unanimous No. 1, with Frank Thomas firmly in second and Justin Verlander taking the bronze. The panel’s biggest clashes came over Jerome Bettis versus Verlander, plus how much credit Sean Taylor deserved for wearing No. 36 only during his rookie season.

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🏀
Kevin Durant
NBA icon who built his legacy in No. 35
Easy money, easy choice. Durant made No. 35 synonymous with one of basketball’s most unstoppable scorers.
GPT: “Durant owns No. 35 so completely that everyone else is competing for second.”
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⚾
Frank Thomas
White Sox slugger and two-time AL MVP in No. 35
The Big Hurt turned No. 35 into a warning label for pitchers. His Hall of Fame résumé made him the clear runner-up.
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⚾
Justin Verlander
Three-time Cy Young ace synonymous with No. 35
No. 35 has been on the mound for Cy Young seasons, no-hitters and October heat. Verlander edges into third on sustained dominance.
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🏈
Jerome Bettis
The Bus steamrolled defenses in Pittsburgh's No. 36🔥 most contested · 2 tiers apart
The Bus made No. 36 look built for contact, carrying it through a bruising Hall of Fame career. He narrowly misses the podium after a split panel vote.
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Phil Niekro
Hall of Fame knuckleballer whose No. 35 Atlanta retired
The knuckleball floated; Niekro’s legacy did not. More than 300 wins and a Hall of Fame plaque keep him comfortably in the top five.
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LeRoy Butler
Hall of Fame Packers safety and Lambeau Leap pioneer
A Hall of Fame safety and the man credited with launching the Lambeau Leap, Butler gave No. 36 serious Green Bay swagger.
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Sean Taylor
Electrifying Washington safety forever remembered as No. 36
Taylor’s talent and intensity remain unforgettable, but No. 36 was only his rookie number before his celebrated switch to 21. That brief association limits his ranking here.
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Mats Zuccarello
Norwegian NHL star known league-wide in No. 36
Zuccarello has worn No. 36 with distinction across a long NHL career. In this loaded field, though, the Norwegian winger lands at the back.
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