Why did Lebron copy Jordan's number?
He also went on to express his belief that the no other NBA player should wear the number in recognition of Jordan's accomplishments and influence on the league.
6 league-wide to honor Bill Russell, the renowned Boston Celtics legend and civil rights advocate who won 11 NBA championships.
King James wears the number in honor of one man: Michael Jordan. Growing up as a kid in the inner city, James noted he was seeking role models to gain inspiration from, and the big athletes at the time were players such as baseball's Ken Griffey Jr. and two-sport star Deion Sanders.
LeBron James is switching back to jersey number 23 'out of respect' for the late Bill Russell. LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers warms up before playing against the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals in Los Angeles on May 20, 2023.
6 out of respect for the late Bill Russell, his agent Rich Paul told ESPN back in July. The league retired No. 6 in Aug. 2022 after Russell died, but James continued to wear the number last season to honor the 11-time NBA champion.
When he joined the Miami Heat in 2010, he switched to No. 6, stating at the time of his decision that it was in honor of Michael Jordan. And that nobody should ever wear No. 23 again.
LeBron will return to his iconic 23
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. This announcement resulted in no remaining inventory of the Lakers' No.
James had indicated to ESPN in September that he was contemplating a change after the 2022-23 season, but said wearing No. 6 for one more campaign "means a lot to me." He returns to No. 23, the number he wore when he broke into the league with the Cleveland Cavaliers as the first pick in the 2003 NBA draft.
The number #23 in sports has become synonymous with Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan's #23 was so popular during his career that on February 14, 1990, a thief stole his game jersey from the Orlando Magic visitors' locker room.
“My brother wore No. 45 which was my number,” he explained in an interview. “So when we was on the same team, we couldn't wear the same number. So I chose half of what his jersey was, which was 22.5, which I would rather have 23.”
Did LeBron wear 23 on the Lakers?
James spent the last two seasons wearing 6 after donning 23 for his first three seasons in Los Angeles, including during the Lakers' championship run in 2020. He switched to 6 in 2021 to make 23 available for teammate Anthony Davis, who now wears 3. The 2023-24 season will be James' 15th season wearing No. 23.
23 in honor of Michael Jordan. James switched back to No. 23 from 2014-21 – his second four-year stint with the Cavaliers and his first three seasons with the Lakers – before wearing No. 6 again the past two seasons.
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.
He had disclosed that his mother and father were born in the year 1963 and 1964 respectively. So he took the 3 from his mother's birth year and the 4 from his father's birth year and came up with the number 34 to don on his jersey. Giannis' brother Thanasis did the opposite and started wearing 43 on his jersey.
6 jersey will be retired across the NBA, a first for the league. Players who currently wear No. 6 may continue doing so, but the number cannot be issued again.
His full name is Wardell Stephen Curry II, named after his father, former NBA player “Dell” Curry. Steph also wears the number 30 jersey, just like his dad did.
| 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.
It was another accolade for MJ
The Heat didn't have any obligation to perform this historic gesture. MJ never played for the franchise, and his jersey number didn't need to be retired. However, the team respected Jordan so much that they felt compelled to do so.
Yes, the NBA retired No. 6 league-wide to honor Russell, which marked the first time in league history a number was retired across all organizations. For the players who were already wearing No. 6, the NBA grandfathered their jerseys, meaning they can still choose to wear it until they retire or swap to a new number.
Will the Heat retire LeBron's jersey?
In a recent interview with Sportskeeda, Lakers' president Jeanie Buss revealed James' jersey will join the other Laker legends in the rafters. He will most likely also have his jersey retired by the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat.
Lakers owner Jeanie Buss said that while LeBron will have his jersey number retired by the team, he'll need to make the Hall of Fame first, per Lakers tradition. "The standard for having your jersey retired as a Laker is when a player is inducted into the Hall-of-Fame," Buss said via Sportskeeda.
Lakers' LeBron James to change uniform from 6 to 23 next season, per agent - CBSSports.com.
23 to the United Center rafters in November 1994, which coincided with the unveiling of his statue outside of the arena as well. With his transition to the diamond, Jordan donned the No. 45, his number as a high school baseball player at Laney High, while playing for the Double-A Birmingham Barons.
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.
