LeBron James has switched his jersey number from #23 back to his former #6.
The Los Angeles Lakers star is now going back to #6 beginning next season. LeBron originally wanted to return to #6 back in 2019 when Anthony Davis joined the Lakers. The plan was to gift Davis with #23. However, Nike stepped in and stopped the number trade, a now-famous decision that they claimed would cost the company too much money.
Davis and James put the exchange on hold for a while, but it is now moving forward. Only this time, AD will not be taking #23 and will keep his #3.
One potential reason why James wants to go back to #6 might be because he rocks the number in his role in the new “Space Jam: A New Legacy” film. However, that has not been confirmed by the NBA, Warner Bros, or James himself.
The NBA usually requires players to provide more than a year’s notice if they wish to change their jersey numbers.
James first switched to #6 while with the Heat in 2010. The 36-year-old did it out of homage to Michael Jordan, whose #23 was retired by the Heat earlier in the decade. He also made the switch to honor Julius Erving.
Nevertheless, the new jerseys are sure to be a bestseller as fans rush to update theirs.
