LeBron Says Players Should Give Up No. 23; James Making Switch To No. 6

LeBron James, pretty much the best player in the NBA right now.

But not the best in history. And he knows that.

So with his No. 23, which he has been wearing since way back in his high school days, is making a switch to the No. Six.

Why?

James is giving his respect to the best basketball player in NBA history: Michael Jordan. After swishing 34 points on the Heat last night in a 111-104 win, Jordan was sitting there watching the young man play.

So LeBron says that every player who is currently wearing the No. 23, they should switch. But that is going to be tough, with twelve other players in the league already having the number, guys including Kevin Martin and Martell Webster.

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

He contined, “He can’t get the logo [Hall of Famer Jerry West’s silhouette adorns the NBA’s logo], and if he can’t, something has to be done. 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.”

James did not always used to wear No. 23.

He also used to wear No. 45 a few years ago, before switching back instantly.

“If you see 23, you think about Michael Jordan,” James told the Plain Dealer. “You see game-winning shots, you think about Michael Jordan; you see guys fly through the air, you think about Michael Jordan; you see fly kicks, you think about Michael Jordan. He did so much, it has to be recognized, and not just by putting him in the Hall of Fame.”

James has until March 5 to change his number. LeBron is a doing a good thing right now.

Let’s hope he can do some more good things in the future.