When the news came that LeBron James had opted to give his No. 23 to recently-acquired forward Anthony Davis, it was a big deal. The number has been associated with James (for the most part) since he entered the league, with the exception of a stint when he wore No. 6 with the Miami Heat. But now, he’ll search for a new number, and a few options stand out.
Now with the Los Angeles Lakers, the No. 23 was a perfect fit, especially considering we know the franchise has multiple other jerseys already retired. First, here’s a look at what numbers have been retired by the team, courtesy of NBA.com.
- 8 & 24 (Kobe Bryant)
- 13 (Wilt Chamberlain)
- 22 (Elgin Baylor)
- 25 (Gail Goodrich)
- 32 (Magic Johnson)
- 33 (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar)
- 34 (Shaquille O’Neal)
- 42 (James Worthy)
- 44 (Jerry West)
- 52 (Jamaal Wilkes)
So what numbers could be on the table for LeBron outside of the ones mentioned above? There’s no better place to start than with No. 6.
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LeBron James’ No. 6 Makes Perfect Sense
GettyLeBron James while with the Miami Heat
If we’re going off past history and the obvious choice, then the No. 6 almost makes too much sense. There’s actually already chatter going on that LeBron could choose to go back to that number, which is expected to be the likely outcome, barring something fairly unforeseen happening.
As ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported on The Jump shortly after the news came to light, it’s believed LeBron will indeed go with the No. 6. Assuming this pans out, then the fun guessing game may end sooner than later.
Regardless, I’m also interested in the idea of James choosing a number which few people are considering at this point. Unfortunately, there are a plethora of options worth evaluating, so let’s dive in and see what stands out.
LeBron James Jersey Number: Other Choices
- No. 3
- No. 7
First, I opted to go with the number three for a few reasons. He was drafted in 2003, has won three NBA titles and three NBA Finals MVPs. Beyond that, James also has been named the AP Athlete of the Year on three occasions while also taking home the NBA All-Star Game MVP three times.
I also could see it being a bit of a tip of the cap to his close friend and recently-retired star Dwyane Wade, assuming Wade gave LeBron the clearance on it.
That’s a whole lot of “threes,” but considering that James is someone who probably looks to the future a bit more, maybe he’d consider going after number four or five. This could be a way for him to predict a few championships in the Lakers future.
As for the No. 7, that would mark one more championship than the great Michael Jordan won in his career. While LeBron and Jordan are always going to be closely compared, this could be qualified as another way for the Lakers star to call his shot and project a few more titles on the horizon.
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LeBron James Jersey Number: What Will He Choose After Giving up 23?