LeBron James has had some incredible moments in the NBA. Over the years, he has been a massive influence in the league and he plans on continuing his journey for the foreseeable future. James’ presence has been so iconic that his jerseys have had the largest sales in NBA history as well. Whether it was with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, or the Los Angeles Lakers, the King has always dominated.
Recently, the 4x NBA Champion made history by becoming the all-time leader in regular season points. James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record that stood for over three decades. The Lakers forward is still in peak form averaging 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game at age 38. The uniforms James has worn hold a lot of meaning to the NBA. He’s worn two numbers throughout his career, 23 and 6.
Recently, LeBron James decided that he will be switching jersey numbers once again. He revealed that he will go back to wearing No.23. James wore the number when he first joined the league and earned his title as arguably the greatest of all time. But the NBA has now retired the No.6 league-wide in honor of Bill Russell, who tragically passed away in early 2022.
Why did LeBron James switch from No.23 to No.6?
LeBron James wore No.23 on entering the league and kept it for the first 7 years of his career. Eventually, he signed with the Miami Heat and changed his number to 6. Back then his reason was because Michael Jordan wore it. Jordan is also widely considered the greatest of all time and is one of James’ biggest inspirations as well.
LeBron James is switching his number back to 23 to honor Bill Russell pic.twitter.com/fYXlVLMfB8
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) July 16, 2023
He eventually returned to Cleveland after winning two championships in Miami. James changed his number back to 23 to continue the journey he started. He lived some of his most iconic moments in Cleveland and won a title for them in 2016. However, James ended up signing with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, a franchise known for housing some of the greatest players of all time.
He wore No.23 during his first two seasons with the Lakers. The multiple-time all-star won his fourth title in LA back in 2020. During year three with the Lakers, he switched back to No.6 and many believed it was because Anthony Davis wore the same in New Orleans. However, he eventually revealed that No.6 also holds a lot of meaning to him. He claimed that it was mainly because of the birth date and month of both his sons.