Former NBA swingman Jalen Rose believes every team in the league should retire Michael Jordan's No. 23 jersey. Rose took to X recently to state that No. 23 should be retired league-wide and asked fans for their thoughts.
"#23 should be retired throughout the entire NBA!!! Thoughts?"
There appeared to be a bit of confusion at first on who he was talking about, so Rose clarified he meant for Jordan.
"Obviously for MJ. The guy played hoops w/his tongue out & still has the most popular kicks even though he hasn’t played in decades."
Rose received some pushback on his take and the 51-year-old claimed the same people disagreeing with him are the ones desperate for Jordan's shoes.
"Don’t front…you and your kids stay thirsty for Jordan’s. No other athlete has this stranglehold on the public. Bow down."
Rose also brought up just how desperate people have gotten to get their hands on those shoes.
"MJ is so popular and such that folks are shooting and killing for his kicks."
Rose concluded by stating that if someone buys Jordan's, then they are making his point.
"If you buying his kicks then you making my point."
The popularity of the Jordan brand is in some ways a testament to how the Chicago Bulls icon transcended the sport. You could make the case for Jordan's jersey to be retired league-wide, but it is an honor that only three men have received in American team sports.
In 1997, MLB retired Jackie Robinson's No. 42, and then in 2000, the NHL retired Wayne Gretzky's No. 99. The latest instance, of course, was the NBA retiring Bill Russell's No. 6 in 2022 after he passed away in July of that year.
Russell was given that honor partly for his play on the court but also for being a civil rights pioneer. His tremendous impact off the court merited him being honored in a way that no other NBA player had been.
Jordan has indeed gone down as a greater player than Russell, after winning six titles, six Finals MVPs, five MVPs, and 10 scoring titles. He is not in the Boston Celtics icon's league when it comes to off-the-court work, however, which seems to be something the NBA values a lot.
Ultimately, Jordan might end up getting the honor after he passes away, but not before that. As of now, two teams have retired his number, the Bulls and the Miami Heat.
LeBron James Once Said Michael Jordan's No. 23 Should Be Retired In All 50 States
Rose isn't the first to suggest that Jordan should be honored in this fashion. Rather interestingly, LeBron James had stated it as well back when he was in high school. James said Jordan's No. 23 should be retired in all 50 states.
"It's a very great honor," LeBron said. "It should be retired in all 50 states of America. No one should be allowed to wear 23 but I don't take it for granted wearing this number and he has laid down the stones for a lot of great basketball players and I'mma try to carry on the legacy."
James also claimed in 2009 that he wanted to start a petition to stop players from wearing No. 23. He felt Jordan deserved to be honored in some way for all that he had done for the NBA. Since then, the league has named the MVP award after Jordan to honor him.
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