When Anthony Davis joined Los Angeles Lakers this summer, LeBron James decided to give him his No.23 as a welcoming gift. Davis wore the number throughout the most of his basketball career, so James didn’t mind switching to No.6 which he wore with USA Basketball and Miami Heat.
However, James’ decision to give Davis No.23 didn’t sit well with Nike, who is the NBA’s jersey manufacturer. According to the company, they already made a substantial number of Lakers’ No.23 jerseys with James’ name on it and pulling them back would cause them “tens of millions” in losses. This forced the Lakers to postpone the switch for the next season and Davis to take No. 3.
Anthony Davis announced the decision to wear No.3 with his new team on Instagram over the weekend, saying that it was the number he wore in elementary.
Davis followed this up with a photo with his elementary basketball team that shows him wearing the number.
Davis joined the Lakers in a blockbuster trade which sent Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and three first-round draft picks to New Orleans Pelicans. This was the result of the 26-year-old All-Star’s trade request he filed back in February.
