Some may say that LeBron James has been inconsistent with a lot of things in his career, but if there was something that has always been constant about him, that would be his respect for Michael Jordan. Growing up, James idolized MJ and even wore jersey No. 23 because of the six-time champion.
However, as LBJ’s career progressed, so was his admiration for Jordan. In fact, James strongly suggested in the past that the NBA change its logo to an MJ silhouette. If they couldn’t for some reason, The King urged them to at least retire Jordan’s jersey No. 23 league-wide.
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To prove he was serious about his plea, LeBron even publicly stated in 2009 that he would willingly ditch No. 23 if the NBA would decide to retire it for Michael for good.
“They should. I mean, seriously,” Bron once said of the NBA retiring No. 23 across the league for Jordan. “I mean, MJ, I think he should be the logo of the NBA, but since you know ‘The Logo’ is so great, everyone knows it. But they got to retire his number. No one should be able to wear 23. He’s the greatest basketball player to ever play the game of basketball. And if I got to change my number for MJ to get his number retired, I have no problem with doing it.”
Why LeBron switched back to 23
Contrary to what some naysayers thought, James stayed true to his word. He had no problem wearing a different jersey number when he joined the Miami Heat since the team had already retired Jordan’s No. 23.
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However, some were confused when LeBron wore No. 23 again in his return to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014. He went on to wear the number until 2021, when he decided to switch back to wearing No. 6 with the Los Angeles Lakers.
At that point, it seemed like Bron was going to wear No. 6 for the rest of his NBA career. However, King James was prompted to don the No. 23 jersey again after the NBA retired the No. 6 league-wide after Bill Russell’s passing in 2022.
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According to the four-time MVP, the 2022-23 season would be the last year he would wear the No. 6 jersey in honor of Russell.
“For us to lose such an icon, it was heartbreaking for all of us,” James told ESPN at the start of 2022-23 training camp in September. “I mean, no matter if you play the game, watch the game or a part of the game. We all know what Bill Russell meant to the NBA, obviously to the Celtics off the floor as well, as far as his heroism … and what he meant to Black people, being able to speak about issues that are not comfortable.
“For me to be able to wear No. 6 this season — I’m not sure if I’ll continue to do it, but right now I’m going to wear it in honor of him. It means a lot to me,” he added.
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The No. 23 is likely to be retired in the future
To this day, the NBA hasn’t retired Jordan’s No. 23 yet. On the other hand, James has already carved his own legacy with the same jersey number.
That being said, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the NBA decides to retire the No. 23 after LeBron’s playing years in the league. Not only because of Michael and his impact on the game but also because of LeBron and the way he elevated the NBA by being the face of the league in the past decade.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.