Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James will be donning No. 23 on his back once again. James wore the No. 6 jersey for the past two seasons but has now decided to make a change for the 2023-24 campaign.
The Lakers announced the switch on their social media on Sunday.
NBA retired the No. 6 jersey across the league last summer in honor of late basketball legend Bill Russell. It was the first time the league made such a move. However, the players that wore the No. 6 at the moment of the announcement were able to continue doing so.
James was one of the players who kept No. 6 for the 2022-23 NBA season but has now decided to move on from it as a way to honor Russell, according to his agent Rich Paul.
“It’s LeBron’s decision,” Paul told ESPN. “He chose to out of respect for Bill Russell.”
During his early years in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James wore a No. 23 jersey. When he decided to “take his talents” to Miami Heat in 2010, he picked up No. 6 since the franchise retired the No. 23 in honor of Michael Jordan. James also wore No. 6 with the Team USA.
Upon returning to the Cavs in 2014, James once again took the No. 23 and wore it throughout his second stint with the franchise as well as in his first three seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. He then went back to No. 6 ahead of the 2021–22 campaign.
