Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images.

LeBron James Emotional Over His New NBA Jersey Patch

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated Jan 13, 2026 6:08 PM ET

LeBron James responded to his commemorative jersey patch introduced on Monday night.

For the first time, James wore a patch to celebrate his record-setting 23rd NBA season. The Los Angeles Lakers star unveiled the patch during a road game against the Sacramento Kings, the same team he opposed in his 2003 NBA debut.

James called the patch "beyond cool and humbling" in an Instagram Stories post on Monday. The 41-year-old later elaborated on the special jersey addition.

“Super cool. Super surreal. Super humbled, blessed," James told reporters. "Walking in here and seeing it for the first time, it was like an emotional moment as well. Just think about the journey thus far and having an opportunity to be here where it kind of all started. Obviously at Oracle, but in this city.

"...It's been a heck of a journey, and the people that have followed my career and my fans have followed my career get an opportunity to be a part of it."

LeBron debuts jersey patch in loss

Jan 12, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) stands on the court during a break in the action against the Sacramento Kings in the first quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn ImagesCary Edmondson-Imagn Images

James will wear the jersey patch in every ensuing game this season. Each patch will then be removed from his uniform, authenticated, and inserted into a pack of Topps trading cards.

The promotion celebrates the 23rd season for an NBA legend wearing No. 23. He came close to that number when scoring 22 points in Monday's 124-112 loss to the Kings.

The Kings trolled LeBron and the Lakers on social media after their victory.

"Bad day to be a jersey patch debut," the Kings wrote.

As a result, the Lakers stayed stuck at 23 wins this season. James is averaging his fewest points (22.0) and rebounds (5.5) per game since his rookie campaign, but the 21-time All-Star is still shooting 50.8 percent from the floor.

Los Angeles has dipped to fifth in the Western Conference standings but trail the No. 2-seeded San Antonio Spurs by just three games. Even as the NBA's oldest active player, James remains pivotal to the Lakers making a deep playoff push.

The Lakers will look to snap a three-game losing streak when James wears the jersey patch at Tuesday night's home game against the Atlanta Hawks.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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