Lakers to retire LeBron James' jersey. But which one, No. 23 or No. 6, or maybe both?
LeBron James' jersey will one day hang in the Crypto.com Arena rafters.
So says Jeanie Buss.
“He will have his Lakers jersey retired, no doubt about it,” the Lakers controlling owner told Sportskeeda in an interview published Friday morning.
Not that there was ever really any doubt, but it's good to have that settled once and for ...
Wait a minute.
Which of James' Lakers jersey numbers will be retired?
Read more: Will Lakers give LeBron James the Kobe treatment and retire both numbers when he hangs it up?
No. 23, the number he was wearing when he led the Lakers to the 2020 NBA title?
Or No. 6, the number he was wearing when he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA's all-time leading scorer earlier this year?
We still don't know.
“That’s a discussion for another time,” Buss told Sportskeeda when asked if the Lakers might consider retiring both numbers.
Sigh.
Read more: Bronny James is released from the hospital, LeBron says 'everyone doing great'
OK, well, here's what Buss did say about the Lakers plans for at least one of James' jersey numbers after his career is over:
“The standard for having your jersey retired as a Laker is when a player is inducted into the Hall of Fame. I have absolutely no doubt that LeBron will make it into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
“When he does so, then we will retire his jersey. Knowing that he will make it into the Basketball Hall of Fame, he will have his Lakers jersey retired, no doubt about it.”
Read more: Roll in with LeBron: Crypto.com Arena unveils new suites reached through players' entrance
James wore No. 23 for his first seven NBA seasons, all spent with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He switched to No. 6 when he joined the Miami Heat in 2010, then went back to No. 23 when he rejoined the Cavaliers four years later.
He has worn both numbers with the Lakers — No. 23 from 2018 to 2021 and No. 6 the past two seasons. Earlier this month, the team revealed James will return to the No. 23 jersey the upcoming season. His agent, Rich Paul, said James decided to do so out of respect for NBA legend Bill Russell, whose No. 6 was retired league-wide following his death last summer.
The Lakers are the only team to have retired two jersey numbers for one player. That player, of course, was beloved Lakers legend Kobe Bryant (No. 8 and No. 24). Would the team bestow such an honor on anyone else, let alone someone who has played for multiple teams and came to the Lakers in the latter part of his career?
That's a question for Jeanie Buss. And as of right now she hasn't answered it.
Read more: Dodgers to honor Kobe Bryant. Here's how to get his jersey with No. 8 and No. 24 on it
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
