Basketball icon LeBron James has changed his view regarding the No.23 jersey worn by the great Michael Jordan during his spectacular career which produced six NBA titles
LeBron James will wear the No.23 jersey next season - 14 years after swapping it out of respect for Michael Jordan.
The four-time NBA champion has opted to switch back to wearing the No.23 jersey for next season, out of respect for the late Bill Russell. Back in 2009 however, the basketball star chose to stop wearing Jordan's number and switched to No.6 to honour the former Chicago Bulls player.
The 19-time All-Star even claimed the league should retire the number as a tribute to Jordan. “I just think what Michael Jordan has done for the game has to be recognised some way soon,” he said. “There would be no LeBron James, no Kobe Bryant, no Dwyane Wade if there wasn’t Michael Jordan first.”
He added: “He can’t get the logo [Hall of Famer Jerry West’s silhouette adorns the NBA’s logo], and if he can’t, something has to be done. I feel like no NBA player should wear 23. I’m starting a petition, and I’ve got to get everyone in the NBA to sign it. Now, if I’m not going to wear No. 23, then nobody else should be able to wear it.”
The four-time NBA Finals MVP previously said he would switch numbers out of respect for former New York Knicks player Julius Irving, although those comments were made before Russell passed away in July 2022. “My second-favourite player was Julius Erving, and he wore No.6,” James said. “I wore 32 in high school because Dr. J wore it at first.
“My first child was born on October 6, it’s my Olympic number, my second child was born in June.” Following the announcement of James changing shirt numbers, the basketball player’s agent and long time friend Rich Paul revealed it was James’ decision to swap jersey numbers. "It's LeBron's decision," Paul said. "He chose to out of respect for Bill Russell."
Last summer, out of respect for Russell following his death, the league retired the No.6 jersey across the league. But due to the timing of the announcement, the NBA was faced with the impossible task of trying to supply enough James jerseys to meet fan demand by the start of the 2022/23 season. In the second half of the campaign, the 38-year-old’s jersey had made more money than any other.
Ahead of the last season, James commented on the loss of one of basketball’s finest players and the honour of wearing the number he made famous. "For us to lose such an icon, it was heartbreaking for all of us," James told ESPN last September.
"I mean, no matter if you play the game, watch the game, or a part of the game. We all know what Bill Russell meant to the NBA, obviously to the Celtics off the floor as well, as far as his heroism, and what he meant to Black people, being able to speak about issues that are not comfortable.
"For me to be able to wear No. 6 this season, I'm not sure if I'll continue to do it, but right now I'm going to wear it in honour of him. It means a lot to me."
