LeBron James has reportedly decided to give up his No.23 jersey to Anthony Davis as the Los Angeles Lakers put the finishing touches on their trade for the All-Star center.
Earlier this month, it was confirmed that the Lakers and Pelicans had agreed a trade that would see Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart, as well as multiple first-round picks, go to New Orleans in exchange for Davis.
The 26-year-old has worn the iconic No.23 shirt throughout his seven-year NBA career, ever since being drafted by the Pelicans.
James, likewise, has predominantly worn the No.23, which could have created a bit of conflict in the Lakers locker room, but Yahoo Sport report he will gift the jersey number to Davis.
Appearing to confirm the speculation, and his next number, James tweeted a solitary ‘6’ on a Thursday night alongside a praying emoji, also posting the same thing on his Instagram stories.
⁶??
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 28, 2019
That looks likely to be his new number given that he wore it while at Miami Heat, plus there are only so many numbers at his disposal given the Lakers have retired the numbers 8, 13, 22, 24, 25, 32, 33, 34, 42, 44 and 52.
James has regularly been seen wearing the No.6 in practice, telling reporters last year: ‘I’ve worn 6 in practice for a long time. I’m starting to figure out a lot of you guys just not recognizing who I am, huh? I’ve been doing this probably the last eight years now.’
Lakers’ LeBron James in the purple No. 6 practice jersey pic.twitter.com/sspRXT0d8k
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) September 27, 2018
Interestingly, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski also reported last night that the Lakers would trade Mo Wagner, Isaac Bonga and Jemerrio Jones to the Wizards as part of the Davis deal.
With Davis also waiving his $4m trade kicker, that move clears contracts and creates enough cap space to sign a max player, with the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Kyrie Irving being linked with a move to the Lakers.
