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For most of his basketball career, LeBron James has worn jersey No. 23. He wore that figure during his high school career at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, as well as during both of his stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA.
But there is another jersey number he has been associated with — No. 6. He chose that number in 2010 when he took his talents to the Miami Heat, and before that, he wore it during his time with Team USA.
When James came to the Los Angeles Lakers five years ago, he wore No. 23 for three seasons, but switched back to No. 6 for the last two campaigns. For the 2023-24 season, he will reportedly wear No. 23 once again.
Back in the day, jersey No. 23 was most associated with Michael Jordan. James has been chasing Jordan’s ghost for much of his career, and sports personality Skip Bayless tweeted on Saturday evening that his decision to go back to No. 23 is a disgrace.
I believe LeBron will change back to No. 23 for 2 reasons: 1) to honor Bill Russell and 2) to resend the absurd message he's now, as the NBA's all-time leading scorer, the GOAT, better than Jordan. Only fools believe that. LeBron James wearing 23 is a disgrace.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) July 16, 2023
The reason for the number switch given by Rich Paul, James’ longtime friend and agent, is he wants to honor the memory of Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell, who passed away nearly a year ago. But James’ haters will swear he has worn No. 23 over the years to disrespect Jordan’s legacy.