It has been 57 years since Jackie Robinson wore No. 42 for the Brooklyn Dodgers, which was also the last season the borough hosted a postseason.

This year marked the end of both streaks. Jerry Stackhouse became the first professional athlete in Brooklyn to wear No. 42 since Robinson and the Nets clinched a playoff spot as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.

With the movie “42” in theaters and both streaks broken, Jerry Stackhouse spoke to RealGM about paying homage to Robinson, Brooklyn’s playoffs chances, and the keys to NBA longevity.

“That (number) means a lot coming into this particular borough and playing for this franchise because No. 42 and Jackie Robinson meant so much to people in this community,” Stackhouse told RealGM. “I think it kind of transcends sports. He did so much to break the color barrier that where no matter what major sport you’re in, to be able to do it and be able to do it the way we’re doing it now, he’s one of those pioneers to help pave the way so it’s a big honor. I really learned his story when I was in Detroit doing some black history month stuff and I just was reading up on Jackie Robinson and I was like ‘wow’ and we wore the same number. Then I started writing it on my shoes and doing some special things around it, but to come to find out that my childhood hero, that I wear No. 42 after, James Worthy, wears the number because of Jackie Robinson. So in a roundabout way, the number got to me because of Jackie Robinson and I’m proud to represent it well.”

Earlier this season, Stackhouse was asked to represent the Nets in a commemorative ceremony when a flagpole was inserted outside of Barclays Center to honor Ebbets Field and the Brooklyn Dodgers.

On the court, Stackhouse has been a valued teammate providing tutelage as a coach on the floor and quality minutes at small forward when called upon. In the midst of his 18th season, Stackhouse has maintained his physique to keep up with the young legs of players who watched him growing up.

“I think it’s just being able to kind of adapt to change as the game has changed,” Stackhouse told RealGM. “The game has changed a lot since I’ve come in (1995) and how we play. We didn’t have zone when I first came in. Now they allow teams to play zone. There have been changes to kind of make the game more free flowing. I just think being able to adapt, taking care of yourself during the offseason by continuing to play by not taking so much time off that it’s such a grind to get back into it, and just being competitive are the three main components I think of being able to have longevity around this league.”

Stackhouse’s eight years of prior playoff experience will pay dividends for a franchise that has missed the playoffs the previous five seasons.

“I think we’re playing pretty well right now, but we’ve had some lapses from time to time, which all teams do,” Stackhouse said. “I think we’re a dangerous team. From how I see us, we’re a team that if we don’t come out with the right attitude and right approach, we could be easily bounced in the first round. But if we’re focused, we come out and play to our strengths and what we can do, we can have a very long run. I think that’s a real positive for us because even though we’re still at this stage, maybe trying to understand what our identity is, the other teams don’t really know our identity either. We can put a lot of different combinations and a lot of versatility on the floor and cause some teams some problems.”

Stackhouse also expects the Brooklyn fan base to be a distraction for opponents in Barclays Center. Stackhouse believes Brooklyn’s pride will resonate resoundingly when playoff time arrives.

“It’s going to be crazy,” Stackhouse told RealGM. “I know that the fans are really excited. I mean you can tell how they’ve been for the most part of the year. They were a little lukewarm to us at the beginning, just trying to figure everything out, but since then and after the All-Star break it’s been very exciting to come in here and play. Us not having playoffs of any caliber in a long time, everybody is going to be kind of amped up to show that Brooklyn’s back.”