For much of his 20-year NBA career, LeBron James has worn jersey No. 23. He donned the number during his first and second stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, as well as during his high school career at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in his native Akron, Ohio.
But when James took his talents to the Miami Heat in 2010, he switched to jersey No. 6 for his four years with the team. The Heat are the only team that Michael Jordan never played for that retired his No. 23.
The four-time MVP wore No. 23 for his first three seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, but he went back to No. 6 for the past two campaigns.
This coming season, he will switch yet again to the more familiar No. 23, reportedly in honor of late Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell.
LeBron James will change his uniform from No. 6 to No. 23 next season. “It’s LeBron’s decision,” Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group told ESPN. “He chose to out of respect for Bill Russell.” The NBA retired No. 6 league-wide last August; James wore it a final season to honor Russell
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 16, 2023
Russell passed away on July 31 of last year. Even though the NBA retired his No. 6 across the league, James was allowed to wear it for the 2022-23 campaign because he was grandfathered into that number.
