LeBron James to make jersey change ‘out of respect’ for NBA legend

LeBron James will look different on the basketball court next season after making a change “out of respect” for an NBA icon.

DENVER, COLORADO - MAY 18: LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after losing to the Denver Nuggets in game two of the Western Conference Finals at Ball Arena on May 18, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by MATTHEW STOCKMAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

LeBron James will reportedly go back to wearing No. 23 on his LA Lakers jersey from next season, in another number switch in the basketball legend’s career.

ESPN reports James will no longer wear No. 6 out of respect for Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell, who died last year aged 88.

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Russell won a record 11 NBA championships with the Celtics and has the NBA Finals MVP trophy named after him.

After Russell’s passing, the NBA retired No. 6 across the league, with every player’s jersey featuring a small No. 6 black and white badge on the front — the first time a player has been honoured in such a fashion.

Current players wearing No. 6 were allowed to continue wearing the number should they choose.

But James has now decided to go back to wearing No. 23, with his agent Rich Paul telling ESPN: “It’s LeBron’s decision. He chose to out of respect for Bill Russell.”

LeBon James won’t wear No. 6 anymore. (Photo: KEVORK DJANSEZIAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

James previously wore No. 6 at three Olympic Games and also during his four seasons with the Miami Heat, where he won two titles in 2012 and 2013.

The 38-year-old has worn the No. 23 for the majority of his career, in 13 out of his 20 seasons.

He won his last NBA championship with the Lakers in 2020 wearing No. 23 before changing to No. 6 in 2021.

James is not the first NBA legend to change numbers mid-career. The late Kobe Bryant wore number eight in his early NBA days before making the switch to number 24.

Michael Jordan made the No. 23 iconic throughout his legendary Chicago Bulls career, leading them to six NBA championships in the 1990s with the famous two digits on his back.

LeBron James is fond of No. 23. Photo: Jason Miller/Getty Images/AFP

LeBron wore 23 at Cleveland. Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images/AFP

James wrote himself into the record books earlier this year when he overtook Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, in a sign of his incredible longevity.

The four-time NBA champion confirmed this week he is not retiring and he would be going around again for the Lakers.

“I don’t care how many more points I score, or what I can or cannot do on the floor,” James said at the ESPYs.

“The real question for me is: Can I play without cheating this game? The day I can’t give everything on the floor is the day I’ll be done. Lucky for you guys, that day is not today,” he said.

“In my 20 years playing this game and all the years before, I’ve never, ever cheated the game and I will never take it for granted.”

Originally published as LeBron James to make jersey change ‘out of respect’ for NBA legend