LeBron James is shaking things up.
He’s trading in his No. 23 jersey for No. 6, the number wore as a member of the Miami Heat. James wore No. 23 with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2003 to 2010 and again from 2014 to 2018. He wore No. 6 with the Heat from 2010 through 2014. He then wore No. 23 during his first three seasons with the Lakers.
That got us wondering about his career performances wearing No. 23 as opposed to No. 6.
Of course, this isn’t a scientific study. James clearly played a different style in Miami than in Cleveland or Los Angeles, based on the supporting cast. Still, it’s fun to compare and contrast — just in case there might be something mystical about his jersey number.
LeBron James wearing No. 23 (Cavaliers, Lakers):
| Years | PPG | RPG | APG | FG% | 3-pt % |
| 14 | 27.0 | 7.4 | 7.6 | .494 | .340 |
LeBron James wearing No. 6 (Heat):
| Years | PPG | RPG | APG | FG% | 3-pt % |
| 4 | 26.9 | 7.6 | 6.7 | .543 | .369 |
Those are regular-season stats only, by the way.
In case you’re wondering, 11 players have worn No. 6 previously for the Lakers. In alphabetical order, they are Kent Bazemore, Chucky Brown, Earl Clark, Jordan Clarkson, Maurice Evans, Eddie Jones, Jelani McCoy, Josh McRoberts, Adam Morrison, Lance Stephenson and Derrick Williams.