Lakers News

Report: LeBron James, Not Anthony Davis, to Wear No. 23 Jersey This Season

Published by
Robert Marvi

After seven individually great but frustrating seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, Anthony Davis is now officially a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

However, his arrival has hit a roadblock – sort of.

According to Yahoo! Sports, Davis’ plans to wear No. 23 – which his new teammate LeBron James wore with the Purple and Gold last season – will have to wait a year.

In an unselfish gesture of Lakers hospitality, James wanted to allow the six-time NBA All-Star to wear No. 23, which he has worn throughout his entire career with the Pelicans. James was planning to switch to No. 6, which he wore during his four seasons with the Miami Heat.

However, the NBA notified the team that they will not approve the change because the request came after the March 15 deadline.

Alternatively, the NBA said that Davis and James could make the switch if the Lakers were able to reach an agreement with Nike, who manufactures the team’s uniforms. But the corporate giant couldn’t make it happen due to financial reasons and production issues.

So for one more season, James will continue to wear his familiar No. 23.

As of now, there’s no word on which jersey number Davis will wear with the Lakers for the 2019-20 season.

Robert Marvi

Robert is a native of Santa Monica, Calif., and a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has been an avid NBA fan since he was a little kid in the mid '90s and fell in love with the Nick Van Exel-led Lakers teams. He truly cherishes the Kobe Bryant-era of Lakers basketball and the five world championships that came with it, and is looking forward to the team's next NBA title.

Published by
Robert Marvi

Recent Posts

Lakers insider identifies big indicator of LeBron’s decline that he’s noticed this season

Los Angeles Lakers insider Jovan Buha has noticed that superstar LeBron James is calling out…

December 17, 2024

Report: Lakers now favorites to land Lonzo Ball in a potential trade

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly are the favorites to land Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball…

December 16, 2024

Report: Lakers likely to make at least one move before trade deadline

The Los Angeles Lakers are likely to make a move to their roster, according to…

December 16, 2024

Report: Trail Blazers have lowered their asking price for former Lakers target

Back in the 2024 NBA offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers were linked to Portland Trail…

December 15, 2024

Lakers upgrade LeBron James’ status before Sunday’s game vs. Grizzlies

The Los Angeles Lakers have a measuring stick game coming up on their regular-season schedule.…

December 15, 2024

LeBron’s former coach says his rough stretch was eye-opening: ‘Oh f—k, he’s not God’

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has seemingly defied logic with his incredible longevity and…

December 14, 2024