Why do you never see numbers with a digit greater than 5 on basketball players' jerseys?

I believe that the digits are <= 5 (05, 33, 14, etc..) because when a
player fouls or whatever, the ref can quickly tell the score-keepers
who it was by simply using their two hands.....

-- Roberto De Feo <rd3i+@andrew.cmu.edu>

That's close, with a slight inaccuracy.  Refs normally signal the
number successively, a two handed simultaneous signal could cause the
digits to be swapped.  Of course, since they signal the number
successively there is no good reason, other than greater confusion,
for not allowing digits greater than 5.

-- Joe Riel <jsr@sparc.sandiegoca.attgis.com>

Actually, there is no real NBA rule requiring that jersey numbers have
digits no greater than five.  As an example, John "Hot Rod" Williams
of the Cleveland Cavs wears number 18, and Mark Price wears 8 (I
think, but I'm SURE about Hot Rod).  Whether there's an NCAA rule to
that effect or not, I DUNNO...

-- Glenn Channell <channell@aries.scs.uiuc.edu> (February 1995)