Getty Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
The Los Angeles Lakers‘ season may have just ended but LeBron James is already making major changes. Though he won’t be playing basketball, he’s going to have a very busy summer with the release of the highly anticipated Space Jam: A New Legacy, the superstar is fully committed to the film. In fact, he’s even going to change his jersey number, according to The Athletic:
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is changing his jersey number to No. 6 from No. 23 next season, sources tell The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Tim Cato. Anthony Davis is expected to keep No. 3.
The change is expected to come after “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” which will be released next month. In the movie, the 17-time NBA All-Star teams up with Bugs Bunny in a sequel to “Space Jam” starring Michael Jordan.
LeBron is likely changing his number from 23 because Jordan is the most iconic player to don that number and he was the star of the first film. It makes sense that the Lakers star wouldn’t wear the same number. LeBron wore No. 6 when was with the Miami Heat so he’s already used to it. There was chatter that he could change the number when Davis joined the team as he wore No. 23 during his time with the New Orleans Pelicans. However, it sounds like Davis has taken a liking to No. 3 and won’t be changing anytime soon.
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New Space Jam: A New Legacy Trailer Drops
Speaking of Space Jam: A New Legacy, the news of LeBron changing his number also coincided with the release of the second trailer for the film.
There is some footage from the first trailer in there but there are some fun new snippets, including brief cameos from Harry Potter and Batman. Though there’s only been one other Space Jam movie, if this one is a success, there could be a lot more on the way.
LeBron Hyped up Space Jam After Playoff Loss
Normally LeBron would still be playing basketball this time of year. However, the Lakers got counted earlier than expected in the playoffs. The star forward has always been the ultimate competitor but it became clear Los Angeles couldn’t compete for a title after Anthony Davis hurt his groin. Even after the Lakers officially got knocked out of the playoffs, LeBron decided to hype up Space Jam when asked about the possibilities of him playing in the olypmics.
“I think I’m gonna play for the Tune Squad this summer instead of the Olympics,” LeBron said after the Lakers’ playoff loss. “We’re gonna gear up to beat the MonStars, or the Goon Squad I guess they’re called now.”
LeBron is clearly heavily invested in the film as it could be a springboard for multiple other projects down the road. Competing in the Olympics would’ve been a bad idea considering his injury issues this year. He now gets to enjoy one of the longest offseasons of his career.
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Lakers’ LeBron James Reportedly Making Major Change for Next Season