Getty Lakers star LeBron James.
The Los Angeles Lakers may have new purple alternate jerseys being added to the collection for the 2021-22 season. Images of a purple LeBron James jersey featuring a star on either side of the number are fueling speculation that they are part of a new addition for this season.
It is important to note that the jerseys have yet to be confirmed and are mere speculation at this point in the process. The Lakers tip-off the regular season by hosting the Warriors on October 19, and we will see if these purple jerseys make an appearance.
New Laker threads 👀🔥
(h/t @camisasdanba )
The early results from fans are mixed in reaction to the potential Lakers jerseys. Some fans are embracing the look noting it is reminiscent of vintage Hornets jerseys. Others feel the look strays away too much from the Lakers’ traditional purple and gold threads. With the preseason just weeks away, we can expect to see an official announcement from Nike soon as to what the Lakers uniforms will look like for the 2021-22 season.
The Lakers Had Royal Blue & White Jerseys as Part of Their City, Classic Editions of Uniforms for 2021-22
City & Classic: 60 Years in the Making
Narrated by Elgin Baylor
All NBA teams have their traditional uniforms (formerly home and away), but Nike has also added a City Edition for each team. Last season, the Lakers had white jerseys with light blue trim for their City Edition uniforms.
Additionally, Nike released Classic Edition uniforms for some teams which many fans simply refer to as “throwbacks”. The Lakers were one of these teams with light blue jerseys featuring a script Los Angeles written across the chest.
LeBron Is Changing His Jersey From No. 23 Back to No. 6
While we are awaiting the full details of the Lakers uniforms, we do know that James will look a little different this season. James is moving on from No. 23 and back to No. 6 which he wore with the Heat. The Lakers star also wore the same number in the Olympics as well as his new Space Jam movies.
James’ jersey switch could be a bit of promotion for Space Jam, but the superstar had wanted to change his number during previous seasons. He initially offered to switch numbers so that Anthony Davis could wear No. 23 before Nike put a stop to this idea.
“James will don No. 6 for the 2021-22 season and Davis will stay with No. 3, the number he wore when L.A. won the championship in his inaugural season with the purple and gold, a team source confirmed to ESPN,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin detailed. “James first wore No. 6 in international competition for Team USA and later wore it for the four seasons he played for the Miami Heat because the organization had already retired No. 23 in honor of Michael Jordan.
“He originally planned to switch back to No. 6 in the summer of 2019 when the Lakers acquired Davis, because the big man had worn No. 23 his entire career with New Orleans, but Nike nixed the swap, sources told ESPN, because of potentially tens of millions of dollars’ worth of wasted inventory.”