{"id":1418493,"date":"2021-10-03T14:09:46","date_gmt":"2021-10-03T18:09:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/?p=1418493"},"modified":"2021-10-03T14:09:53","modified_gmt":"2021-10-03T18:09:53","slug":"lebron-james-switch-jersey-number-23-6-lakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports7.us\/news\/lebron-james-switch-jersey-number-23-6-lakers\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Did LeBron James Switch His Jersey Number From 23 Back to 6 for the Lakers?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

LeBron James<\/a> has long been connected to Michael Jordan<\/a> through the No. 23 on his jersey. Jordan donned the iconic number for most of his career with the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards aside from a brief stint in No. 45, and James followed his idol's lead by choosing No. 23 when he reached the NBA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James<\/a> switched from 23 to six when he signed with the Miami Heat in 2010, but he changed right back when he returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers and moved on to the Los Angeles Lakers. Ahead of the 2021-22 season, James is abandoning 23 again and making the surprising switch back to No. 6. How come?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LeBron James makes the switch from No. 23 to No. 6<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"LeBron
Lebron James and Anthony Davis share a laugh during Lakers media day at the UCLA Health Training Center | Wally Skalij\/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ever since LeBron James joined the Lakers in 2018, he's been rocking the famous No. 23 for the purple and gold. The number has become synonymous with James himself, as the future Hall of Famer started wearing 23 in high school as an ode to the great Michael Jordan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“When I started playing basketball, I was like: ‘Oh man, that two-three looks good. I wanna be able to fly like him,'” James said<\/a> in 2019. “‘I wanna be able to shoot like him. I wanna be able to dunk on somebody like him. I wanna be able to stick out my tongue like him in the air and yell in somebody's face like MJ.'”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jordan might've made 23 famous in the 1980s and 1990s, but James continued its legacy by quickly becoming a superstar in his own right. He wore the number for his first seven years in the NBA, and after a few seasons in No. 6 with the Heat, James returned to 23 and has worn it ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That will change this year, as LeBron has decided to switch back to No. 6 for his 19th season in the league.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is LeBron James switching from 23 back to 6?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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