For the fourth time in his career, LeBron James is changing his jersey number.
It's a familiar one. His agent Rich Paul told ESPN's Dave McMenamin on Saturday that James will switch his Los Angeles Lakers jersey from No. 6 to No. 23 — the number he started his career with and has worn at multiple NBA stops.
Paul told McMenamin that James is making the switch "out of respect for Bill Russell.”
Russell — the Boston Celtics icon and 11-time NBA champion — died in 2022. The NBA retired his No. 6 prior to last season, but players who were wearing the jersey number at the time were allowed to continue wearing it if they chose. James wore it last season as the league dedicated its season to honoring Russell.
James wore No. 23 in high school and when he joined the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. When he joined the Miami Heat in 2010, he switched to No. 6, stating at the time of his decision that it was in honor of Michael Jordan. And that nobody should ever wear No. 23 again.
"I just think what Michael Jordan has done for the game has to be recognized some way soon," James said in 2009. "There would be no LeBron James, no Kobe Bryant, no Dwyane Wade if there wasn't Michael Jordan first.
"He can't get the logo, and if he can't, something has to be done. I feel like no NBA player should wear 23. I'm starting a petition, and I've got to get everyone in the NBA to sign it. Now, if I'm not going to wear No. 23, then nobody else should be able to wear it."
In 2014 when he rejoined the Cavaliers, James switched back to No. 23.
He wore it for the remainder of his Cavaliers career through 2018 and donned it through his first four seasons with the Lakers. In 2021, he switched back to No. 6. He tried to make the switch in 2020 to allow newly acquired Anthony Davis to continue wearing No. 23, a nod to his new All-Star teammate. But it was too late that season for the NBA to swap out the No. 23 gear. Davis instead opted for No. 3, but James has worn No. 6 since 2021 regardless. Until next season.
At 38 years old, is this the final jersey number change of his career?
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"It's LeBron's decision," said Paul, James' longtime friend and agent. "He chose to out of respect for Bill Russell." Last summer, after Russell died at the age of 88, the NBA retired No. 6 across the league -- the first time a player was honored in such a fashion.
And then there's Michael Jordan, who started wearing the number 23 in high school because it was as close as he could get to half of the number 45 worn by his older brother, Larry. LeBron James also has worn 23 as an homage to Jordan.
The Laker put on the No. 8 jersey to start his NBA career after snubbing college and taking on the challenge of playing in the best league in the world. He selected the number 143, his Adidas camp number, according to ESPN. When he was younger, he wore this number in Italy, which adds up to eight.
Even at 39 years old, LeBron James is capable of putting the team on his back and singlehandedly engineering a stunning comeback. James and the Los Angeles Lakers stormed back from a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit last night to defeat rival Los Angeles Clippers as James outscored the entire Clippers team by himself.
In 2014 when he rejoined the Cavaliers, James switched back to No. 23. He wore it for the remainder of his Cavaliers career through 2018 and donned it through his first four seasons with the Lakers.
MJ was motivated as a child by his older brother Larry, so they decided to both wear the Jersey number 45. And when they became partners on the same team, he couldn't wear the same number. So he decided to split the number 45 in half. and rounded it up to 23, and that's how he got the number 23.
The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat retired the number 23 in honor of Michael Jordan. Jordan never played for the Miami Heat. Jordan is one of the 14 people to have a number retired by two different teams.
As a number made up of two consecutive primes – one of which is the only even, or feminine, prime number – the Chinese placed a mystical status on the number 23. But it's not just the ancient Chinese that were obsessed with 23.
Players now wear #23 to pay tribute to Michael Jordan, since the number 23 is synonymous with the greatness of MJ. Some players that wear/have worn #23: LeBron James. Anthony Davis.
“In high school I started out with number 24. Then I went to number 33 later on. 33 was the number my father wore in high school, so I just switched it to carry on the lineage.”
Bryant himself shed light on this decision, revealing that it represented a new chapter in his career and personal growth. The number 24 held symbolic meaning for him, signifying a fresh start and a heightened sense of maturity and leadership on and off the court.
Kobe dropped 60 points on the Utah Jazz, delivering his final moment in the NBA in classic fashion. Popular daytime talk show Ellen celebrated Kobe's retirement by adding a little flair to his last free throws, editing it to make it look like Kobe moonwalked and danced through his free throws.
James has worn different numbers throughout his career but is probably tied together most with the number 23. A household name in the modern game, James has won 3 NBA World Championships, and has been NBA MVP 4 times.
His full name is Wardell Stephen Curry II, named after his father, former NBA player “Dell” Curry. Steph also wears the number 30 jersey, just like his dad did. Steph is a Christian, and on his signature shoe, the Curry One, the lace loop at the bottom of the tongue has '4:13' on it.
Introduction: My name is Greg Kuvalis, I am a witty, spotless, beautiful, charming, delightful, thankful, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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