LeBron James will sport a new (but old) digit with the Los Angeles Lakers next season.
Sources told The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Tim Cato that James is changing his jersey number from No. 23 to No. 6, which the 17-time NBA All-Star wore for four seasons with the Miami Heat (2010-14).
Anthony Davis, who wore No. 23 in college (2011-12) and with the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans (2012-19) before switching to No. 3 upon joining the Lakers, reportedly is expected to keep his current number.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin also reported Wednesday, citing a team source, that James and Davis will wear No. 6 and No. 3, respectively, with the Lakers for the 2021-22 season.
James’ number change coincides with next month’s release of the “Space Jam: A New Legacy” movie, in which the four-time NBA MVP dons No. 6 for the Tune Squad.
James, who wore No. 23 during both of his stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, originally planned to switch back to No. 6 when the Lakers acquired Davis before the 2019-20 season, but sources told McMenamin that such a move would have proven too costly for Nike at the time.
LeBron James is coming off his third season with the Lakers, which ended last week when Los Angeles was eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the NBA playoffs. The Lakers won the NBA Finals last season inside the Orlando bubble.
