LeBron James made Los Angeles Lakers fans worried when he suddenly announced he was considering retiring in May, after being destroyed 4-0 by the Denver Nuggets. However, all could breathe a sigh of relief after the 38-year-old confirmed he will continue to fight for the 2023/24 season during his speech at the ESPY Awards.
When James officially retires, he will join the exclusive club of Lakers legends. In an interview with Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss revealed that James will see his shirt retained atop the Cryto.com Arena.
Buss told Medina: “The standard for your shirt to hang as a Lakers is that they have to be in the Hall of Fame. I have absolutely no doubt that LeBron will enter the Hall of Fame in the future. When he does, we’ll hang his shirt.”
List of players whose jerseys are hung by the Lakers
Buss did not exaggerate that standard. So far, the Lakers have only hung the shirts of 12 players, and all are Hall of Famers.
Pau Gasol, who retired with the number 16 shirt in March, will enter the Hall of Fame next month as part of the Class of 2023.
List of players whose jerseys are hung by the Lakers
Will the Lakers hang up LeBron James’ number 6 or number 23?
According to James’ agent, Rich Paul, James will switch from number 6 to number 23 ahead of the upcoming season “out of respect for Bill Russell”. Russell’s number 6 was permanently hung across the NBA last year, but James and other players who have worn the number before were allowed to keep it if they did not want to change it.
From 2018 to 2021, James wore the number 23 shirt. After that, he switched to wearing the number 6 shirt for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons. The 38-year-old star hit major milestones in both colors, winning his fourth championship in 2020 and breaking the NBA’s all-time scoring record in 2023.
When asked if the Lakers would retire just one or both of his jerseys, Buss replied: “That’s a discussion for another time.”
LeBron James’ story around shirt numbers 23 and 6
James wears the number 23 shirt at St. Vincent-St. Mary and continued to wear it after being picked by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round in the 2003 NBA Draft. James often cites the NBA’s most famous number 23, Michael Jordan, as an inspiration.
“When I started playing basketball, I thought, ‘Oh my, that 23 looks great. I want to fly like him. I want to be able to throw like him. I want to beat anybody like him. . I want to be able to stick my tongue out like him in the air and scream at someone like MJ. So ever since I started playing, I’ve worn the number 23′,” James said in 2019.
During his seventh season in Cleveland, James stated that every NBA player wearing the number 23 shirt should drop it out of respect for Jordan.
“I just think what Michael Jordan has done for this sport should be recognized soon,” James said in 2009. “There would be no LeBron James, no Kobe Bryant, no Dwyane Wade without Michael Jordan. first he can’t get the logo, and if he can’t, then something has to be done I feel like no NBA player should wear the number 23 shirt anymore.
“I’m starting a petition and I have to get everyone in the NBA to sign it. Now, if I don’t wear the number 23 shirt, no one else will be able to wear it.”
James switched to number 6 after signing with the Heat, and he continues to wear that number on his training uniform even after wearing the number 23 shirt as a member of the Cavs and Lakers. That decision is out of respect for one of James’ other 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥hood heroes, Deion Sanders, who wears the number 21 shirt in games but the number 2 in training.
In addition to competing in the NBA, James has worn the number 6 shirt in many Olympics.
