LeBron James Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James is going back to No. 23 out of respect for late Hall of Famer

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 7/16/23

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James is bringing an old classic back. When the Lakers hit the floor for the 2023-24 campaign later this year, James will rock a familiar look after switching his number from six back to 23.

James's agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group, told Dave McMenamin of ESPN that James is making the change out of respect for late Boston Celtics icon Bill Russell, who wore No. 6 for all 13 years of his illustrious Hall of Fame career.

LeBron James will change his uniform from No. 6 to No. 23 next season. “It’s LeBron’s decision,” Rich Paul of Klutch Sports Group told ESPN. “He chose to out of respect for Bill Russell.” The NBA retired No. 6 league-wide last August; James wore it a final season to honor Russell
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) July 16, 2023

Following Russell's passing at 88 last July, the NBA retired his number, making him only the third player to receive the honor throughout an entire American sports league, joining Wayne Gretzky (99) and Jackie Robinson (42). However, James, who wore six then, continued to rock Russell's number through last season due to being grandfathered in.

James wore 23 for the entirety of his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers as an homage to arguably the greatest to lace them up, Michael Jordan. However, after taking his talents to South Beach in 2010, James switched from 23 to six in honor of Hall of Famer Julius Irving and his oldest son's birthday.

In his second stint with the Cavaliers, James brought 23 back and kept it after signing with the Lakers in 2018 until switching back to six two seasons later in 2021 to coincide with the release of "Space Jam: A New Legacy.

James's reasoning behind the change is admirable, and perhaps bringing 23 back to the purple and gold will help the Lakers get over the hump. After all, the Lakers went 76-88 with James wearing six, so maybe the change can stir up some of the 2019-20 title team magic in L.A. And the Lakers could be close. Last season, on the back of James, they reached the Western Conference Finals despite finishing the regular season just four games above .500 (43-39)

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