LeBron James has worn No. 23 during both his stints in Cleveland, plus the first three years he was with the Lakers. However, the last two years in Los Angeles he wore the No. 6 that he first wore for the Miami Heat.
LeBron is changing back to No. 23. The reason is out of respect for the late Bill Russell, LeBron’s agent Rich Paul told Dave McMenamin of ESPN.
It's official. 23 is back. pic.twitter.com/hEqb5rQANk
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 16, 2023
LeBron James will change his uniform from No. 6 to No. 23 next season. “It’s LeBron’s decision,” Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group told ESPN. “He chose to out of respect for Bill Russell.” The NBA retired No. 6 league-wide last August; James wore it a final season to honor Russell
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 16, 2023
The NBA retired the No. 6 across the league but players already wearing the number were grandfathered in and could continue to wear it. LeBron did that for a season (one in which he set the NBA’s all-time scoring record).
LeBron’s No. 6 was the top-selling jersey in the NBA last season, the switch back to No. 23 was done early enough that Nike will have plenty of the new LeBron Lakers jerseys in stores by the time next season starts.
