Basketball star LeBron James has a deep connection with his jersey numbers throughout his storied career. Currently wearing the No. 23 for the Los Angeles Lakers, James’ journey with this number dates back to his high school years.

At St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, James initially picked the number 32 as a freshman since his preferred No. 23, a tribute to Michael Jordan, was unavailable. His chance came during his sophomore year when he quickly claimed No. 23.

After joining the NBA in 2003 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James continued with No. 23, showing his respect for Jordan. However, in 2009, he suggested that the NBA should retire Jordan’s number league-wide in honor of Jordan, similar to how the NHL retired Wayne Gretzky’s No. 99 and the MLB retired Jackie Robinson’s No. 42.

Despite this suggestion, LeBron continued to wear No. 23 until his move to the Miami Heat in 2010, when he changed to No. 6. This number is important to James in several ways: he wore No. 6 when competing with Team USA for Olympic gold, his son Bronny was born on October 6, and his other son Bryce in June. Also, James admired players like Bill Russell and Julius Erving, who also wore No. 6.

Returning to Cleveland in 2014, James switched back to No. 23, which he kept when he signed with the Lakers in 2018. James planned to give No. 23 to Anthony Davis, who joined the Lakers as a free agent before the 2019-20 season. However, due to some issues with jersey production by Nike, Davis chose No. 3 instead.

Anthony Davis To Wear No. 3 Jersey, Nike Has Denied LeBron James’ Request To Switch Numbershttps://t.co/q6XGliUTpO pic.twitter.com/6Kcd58EC5F

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 14, 2019

In 2021, James briefly returned to No. 6 to honor the late Bill Russell but switched back to No. 23 after the league-wide retirement of No. 6 in memory of Russell. James has worn No. 23 for 15 of his 21 NBA seasons. As he potentially plans to play alongside his son Bronny, the question arises whether James will make another number switch in his career.

LeBron James once suggested a petition to stop players from wearing number 23

During his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2009, James stated that he would start a petition to stop NBA players from wearing the No. 23 jersey. LeBron initiated this because he felt the NBA had to do something to honor Jordan.

“I just think what Michael Jordan has done for the game has to be recognized some way soon,” LeBron said. “There would be no LeBron James, no Kobe Bryant, no Dwyane Wade if there wasn’t Michael Jordan first.”

“I feel like no NBA player should wear 23. I'm starting a petition, and I've got to get everyone in the NBA to sign it. Now, if I'm not going to wear No. 23, then nobody else should be able to wear it."

— LeBron James in 2009 https://t.co/6MHp8NYlbt

— Tab Bamford (@The1Tab) July 16, 2023

James argued that since Jordan could not get the NBA logo, there should be a different way to honor him. Years later, the NBA named the MVP award after Jordan, introducing the Michael Jordan Trophy. This decision highlighted the league’s respect for Jordan’s impact on the game.