There have been many outstanding athletes to dawn the number 23. Names that come to mind are Michael Jordan, Ryne Sandberg, Troy Vincent, David Beckham, Bob Gainey, and Ron Lancaster. All of these athletes accomplished many great feats in the sports they played.
NBA – Michael Jordan: In the NBA, he is and was considered the best ever to play the sport of basketball. As a member of the Chicago Bulls Jordan won six NBA championships and also was named NBA Finals MVP six times. He was also named an All-Star 14 times and NBA MVP five times. The number 23 in basketball will always be remembered as Michael Jordan’s because of everything he gained and he has changed the sport forever. Now Jordan is a majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats.
NHL – Bob Gainey: The former NHL defensive specialist played his entire 16 year career with the Montreal Canadiens as a left winger. Gainey was drafted eighth overall in 1973 by Montreal. He led his team to four straight Stanley Cups between 1976-1979. In 1976 as a member of Team Canada he helped his country win the Canada Cup. The NHL elected him to the NHL Hall of Fame in 1992 after a career consisting of 1,160 games, scoring 239 goals, and 263 assists.
MLB – Ryne Sandberg: The man nicknamed Ryno played 16 years in the league and 15 of those were with the Chicago Cubs. In 1984, Sandberg was named National League MVP and he also won awards like Silver Slugger, Gold Glove, and was named to the All-Star game. The Chicago Cubs fans will always remember him as a 10-time all-star, nine-time Gold Glove winner and seven-time Silver Slugger Award winner. In 2005, Sandberg won 76.2 percent of the vote and was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame and had his number retired by the Cubs.
NFL – Troy Vincent: This Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame NFL cornerback was drafted seventh overall in 1992 by the Miami Dolphins. As an Eagle he made the Pro Bowl in five consecutive years from 1999-2003 and also being named a three-time All-Pro from 2000-2002. Vincent was elected into the Eagles Hall of Fame in 2012, not just for the awards but also for his play on the field recording 749 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 47 interceptions.
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Soccer – David Beckham: This English footballer is known for his tattoos, commercials, and appearances in films. In his soccer career, Beckham played for many big named clubs like Manchester United, Real Madrid, and the Los Angeles Galaxy. He also captained team England a record number 59 times which is fourth all time in English football club history. He is the first player to score a goal in three World Cups. In 2003, Beckham was named England Player of the Year. Besides winning many awards for his playing career he also won big named championships including the FA Cup from 1995-1996 and 1998-1999, UEFA Champions League in 1998-1999 and the MLS Cup in 2011-2012.
CFL – Ron Lancaster: When you think of the CFL, you think of quarterback Ron Lancaster. As a player, Lancaster led the Ottawa Rough Riders in his first season to a Grey Cup win in 1960. His next championship came as a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders winning in 1966. Lancaster finished his career falling third in passing completions, attempts, and yards by a quarterback. As a coach he led the Eskimos and the Tiger-Cats to Grey Cup titles and in 1982 Lancaster was named to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, and also in 1985 to Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.
POLL:
Who is the greatest athlete to have worn number 23?
In this collection, meet Lebron James, widely touted as one of NBA's greatest and a man known not just for his incredible skill on the court but also for his philanthropy off it. Michael Jordan, another basketball legend who redefined the game with his unmatched performances, still resonates with fans of all ages.
A household name in the modern game, James has won 3 NBA World Championships, and has been NBA MVP 4 times. James revealed in an interview that the man himself, Michael Jordan is his main inspiration for choosing 23 as his number.
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.
This will be the second time James has worn No.23 during his tenure with the Lakers. He donned the number from 2018 to '21 with the team, then made the switch to No. 6 for the 2021–22 and 2022–23 seasons.
Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls jersey No. 23 is arguably the highest-selling NBA jersey of all time. After all, MJ is widely accepted as the greatest basketball player ever.
Kobe went with the number 24 because it's one he wore during his high school career. He later switched to 23, but couldn't wear it in LA because the number was retired for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Rowland Garrett 1972-1975 (SF): Played in 160 games for the Bulls averaging 6.0 ppg. Would go on to wear #23 for the Cleveland Cavaliers as well after his stint with the Bulls. Eric Fernstein 1975-1977 (C): Played in 38 games for the Bulls averaging 2.8 ppg.
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.
LeBron James to change jersey number back to 23 in honor of Bill Russell. Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN. Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09.
Lakers star LeBron James will change his jersey number from No. 6 back to No. 23 for the upcoming 2023-24 season, the team announced Saturday evening. James' agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, told ESPN that James made the decision in honor of NBA legend Bill Russell, who died at the age of 88 last summer.
Principia Discordia, the sacred text of Discordianism, holds that 23 (along with the discordian prime 5) is one of the sacred numbers of Eris, goddess of discord.
In numerology, the angel number 23 has big energy and is connected to the planet Uranus. The motifs captured in this number include progression, transformation, innovation, change, collaborations, and spreading harmony and love.
Kobe went with the number 24 because it's one he wore during his high school career. He later switched to 23, but couldn't wear it in LA because the number was retired for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Later on, he felt that this jersey change was the start of a new beginning for him: "Then 24 is a growth from that.
When thinking of number 24, the first two athletes who come to mind are Ken Griffey, Jr.and Willie Mays. These two great baseball stars wore the number with several teams throughout their entire Hall of Fame careers. The next names to pop into my mind were basketball's Kobe Bryant and NASCAR's Jeff Gordon.
NFL stars like the Dallas Cowboys' Emmitt Smith, Bob Hayes, and Paul Krause created some amazing career highlights as football players who wore 22. Some of the basketball legends to sport the number include NBA stars Clyde Drexler, Moses Malone, and Larry Nance.
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Fan Fuel February 8, 2013, 11:09 AM 
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