Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James will wear No. 23 again next season, and no longer No. 6, in tribute to Bill Russell, who died last year.
LeBron James fans who bought a Los Angeles Lakers jersey number 23 will have to come back to checkout. The superstar will indeed wear number 6 again next season! A few days after announcing that he was leaving for a 21st season in the NBA, the 38-year-old player announced, via the Californian franchise’s Twitter account, that he had found the number he had already worn several times.
When he arrived in the Big League in 2003 in Cleveland, he took No. 23, made famous by his idol, Michael Jordan, during his glorious years in Chicago and then his two seasons in Washington. But when he moved to Miami in 2010, LeBron James decided to wear No. 6. A figure that he justified by the number of titles won by Jordan, but also by the mathematical operation 2×3. He won two titles with the Heat in this No. 6 jersey, then decided to return to Cleveland in 2014, where he took over the No. 23.
Tribute to Russell
Crowned NBA champion in 2016 with the Cavs, “King James” then joined the Lakers in 2018. He started in California with No. 23, won the title in 2020, before opting again for No. 6 in 2021. After two seasons with the 6, he therefore returns to the 23, in order to pay homage to Bill Russell. Indeed, the legendary former pivot of the Boston Celtics died in July 2022 at the age of 88, and the NBA had decided to pay tribute to him throughout the 2022-23 season by flocking on the front of each player’s jersey. his number 6, then she announced that the number 6 would be permanently removed from all League shirts, except for players already wearing it, like Quentin Grimes (New York), Alex Caruso (Chicago), DeAndre Jordan (Denver) or Kristaps Porzingis (Washington). LeBron James was therefore not obliged to leave the 6, but he decided to do so, for this 2023-24 season where he dreams of winning a fifth championship title.
