Getty Lakers star LeBron James
Los Angeles Lakers small forward LeBron James will receive a historic honor from a rival team when he retires from the NBA.
Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel wrote on August 11 that the Miami Heat will retire James’ No. 6 jersey when the swingman leaves the NBA. Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell’s No. 6 jersey was retired by the entire league after his passing, so the Heat will have dual No. 6 jerseys hanging from the rafters of FTX Arena.
“Having already retired the No. 3 of Dwyane Wade and the No. 1 of Chris Bosh, the Heat have not issued the No. 6 of fellow Big Three partner LeBron James since he left the team during the 2014 offseason, following four consecutive trips to the NBA Finals and two championships,” Winderman wrote. “James’ Heat jersey retirement is anticipated upon his NBA retirement.”
James played four seasons with the Heat. He won two championships, two Finals MVPs and two regular-season MVPs with Miami.
James Was Incredible with Miami
James averaged 26.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists in 294 regular-season games with the Heat while shooting 54.3% from the field, 36.9% from beyond the arc and 75.8% from the free-throw line. He won back-to-back MVPs in 2012 and 2013.
Despite playing only four seasons with the Heat, James is fourth in franchise history in points, second in triple-doubles, fifth in assists, fifth in field goal percentage, first in points per game, first in player efficiency rating and fourth in field goals.
The Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 Finals and the San Antonio Spurs in the 2013 Finals. James won both Finals MVPs. He averaged 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists in the 2012 Finals and 25.3 points, 10.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists in the 2013 Finals.
James left the Heat in the summer of 2014 and signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He played four seasons with the Cavaliers before joining the Lakers in the summer of 2018.
James Predicted to Finish His Career with Lakers
Robert Horry, who won three championships with the Lakers during his career, told Ryan Gaydos of Fox News on August 8 that he believes James will finish his career in Los Angeles. The 2022-23 season will be James’ 20th campaign in the NBA.
“LeBron ain’t going nowhere. He got the Hollywood in him now. He got the movies. He got so many contacts out here. He can’t do that if he goes to Cleveland or Miami or anywhere else,” Horry said. “You gotta stay here. He’s a Laker for the rest of his … 13 more years he’s gonna play.”
James is eligible to sign a two-year extension worth around $97 million with the Lakers. The King would become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2023 if he didn’t agree to an extension with Los Angeles. The final day James can sign his extension is June 30, 2023.
James has played in 223 out of a possible 307 regular-season games since joining the Lakers in 2018, putting up averages of 27.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game. Despite the purple and gold’s struggles over the past two seasons, James is “extremely happy” in Los Angeles, according to a July 29 report from NBA insider Marc Stein.