Is Jordan 23 retired?
On November 1, 1994, his No. 23 was retired by the Bulls in a ceremony that included the erection of a permanent sculpture known as The Spirit outside the new United Center.
As for Jordan, only Miami and the Chicago Bulls have retired his No. 23.
The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat retired the number 23 in honor of Michael Jordan. Jordan never played for the Miami Heat. Jordan is one of the 14 people to have a number retired by two different teams.
23 retired by the Chicago Bulls and even across the league in the same way Wayne Gretzky's No. 99 is in hockey. But the Heat retiring his number despite Jordan having no ties to the organization other than defeating them many times, is kind of cringeworthy.
MJ was motivated as a child by his older brother Larry, so they decided to both wear the Jersey number 45. And when they became partners on the same team, he couldn't wear the same number. So he decided to split the number 45 in half. and rounded it up to 23, and that's how he got the number 23.
Michael Jordan - Bulls, Heat
Make no mistake, based on his dominance and overall importance to the game of basketball, he is worthy of having his No. 23 retired by the Chicago Bulls and even across the league in the same way Wayne Gretzky's No.
23. He wore it for the remainder of his Cavaliers career through 2018 and donned it through his first four seasons with the Lakers. In 2021, he switched back to No. 6.
LOS ANGELES -- In a nod to Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell, LeBron James will change his uniform number from 6 back to 23 for the Los Angeles Lakers this coming season, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group told ESPN on Saturday.
According to Rich Paul, friend and former agent of 'King James', "LeBron's decision was out of respect for Bill Russell". LeBron was among the last players in the NBA to wear the number 6, after the league retired the number 6 in memory of Bill Russell, who died in the summer of 2022 at the age of 88.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard / small forward |
| Number | 23, 12, 45 |
| Career history | |
| 1984–1993, 1995–1998 | Chicago Bulls |
Is Shaq's number retired?
Shaq's original team, the Magic, will make O'Neal the first player in franchise history to have his number retired in February when his No. 32 is raised to the rafters. O'Neal will become the only NBA player other than Wilt Chamberlain to have his number retired by three former teams.
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.
Yet four months later, on Oct. 6, 1993, after winning his third straight title with the Bulls, Michael Jordan — only 30 years old — walked away, retiring from the NBA after nine seasons. Amazingly, that happened 30 years ago today.
When late Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Fame shooting guard Kobe Bryant changed his jersey number from eight to 24 during the 2006-07 season, he explained it at the time as "growth" from his prior digits. "Then 24 is a growth from [No. 8]," Bryant once said.
“I didn't want to wear 23 because I knew my father wasn't there to watch me, and I felt it was a new beginning and 45 was my first number when I was playing in high school."
After that game, Bulls coach Phil Jackson summed up Jordan's performance and the reason for the jersey change perfectly. "He was responding to the comments that he's not the same old 23," Jackson said via the New York Times. "I think that was his response.
Lebron had publicly announced he was going to change his number in his last season during his first run in Cleveland. Many thought this was a “tip of the hand" he would join the Bulls since Jordan's Number is retired. The Miami Heat, for Jordan's contribution to the game, also retired 23.
Chicago Bulls icon Michael Jordan didn't play a single second for the Miami Heat, but the franchise retired his No. 23 jersey in April of 2003 as a sign of respect to him and his achievements. This is the story of how and why that happened.
LeBron James
This four-time NBA MVP and three-time NBA World Champion was inspired by Michael Jordan to wear the number 23. In fact, LeBron says that Michael was his primary inspiration for becoming a basketball player.
The NBA announced that Bill Russell's No. 6 is being retired league-wide, but LeBron James is among players grandfathered in to keep wearing it.
Is LeBron James 6 or 23?
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James will once again wear No. 23 this season, after switching to No. 6 for the last two years.
| NO | Player | HT |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | J. Hood-Schifino | 6-5 |
| 23 | L. James Lakers' LeBron James: Slowed down by illness in loss LeBron James Lakers' LeBron James: Slowed down by illness in loss | 6-9 |
| 21 | M. Lewis | 6-7 |
| 12 | T. Prince | 6-6 |
Cleveland Cavaliers #23
When James entered the league, he came in on the heels of wearing #23 at St. Vincent–St. Mary High School. This is a nod to Michael Jordan.
6 league-wide to honor Bill Russell, the renowned Boston Celtics legend and civil rights advocate who won 11 NBA championships.
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.
