Lebron James is Changing His Number
Yesterday it was announced that Lebron James will be changing his number from #23 to #6 after this season in honor of Michael Jordan. Well it’s about time Lebron did something that was classy and something that will get him some respect. This does not mean I like him because I still don’t like him but I really like the gesture. I personally think that #23 should be retired throughout the league anyways because of how great Jordan was. Jackie Robinson’s number is retired in baseball except for the one day out of the year when baseball honors him and wears his number. In NASCAR, even though it’s not officially retired no one will ever use the #3 again because of Dale Earnhardt’s legacy. So in my opinion basketball should follow up by retiring Jordan’s number. It will be really weird seeing Lebron in a #6 jersey but hey maybe the kid is growing up.
It should be noted that this announcement came right after Jordan watched Lebron in action when Cleveland played at Miami. Jordan was seen sitting next to Pat Riley at the game on Thursday and gave both Dwayne Wade and Lebron James a standing ovation. On a final note that game between the Cavs and the Heat was off the charts. It was a really fun game to watch. Both teams lit it up. I can’t wait until they play each other again.
The only reason Jackie Robinson's number was retired in MLB was because of his overall impact on the game. Without Jackie Robinson playing, NO OTHER BLACK PLAYERS WOULD HAVE PLAYED IN MLB.
Michael Jordan is the greatest player in NBA history, everyone knows that. But he didn't open doors for anyone, they were already open. He played basketball, awesome. Let the Bulls retire his number and just call it good.
For LeBron James to request this just because Michael Jordan was his idol is kinda dumb. He shouldn't be telling other guys what they should be doing with their numbers.
I will disagree one one thing. Michael Jordan did have a huge impact on basketball. Before he was around who was really getting big sponsorship deals in basketball. Not too many players, a few but too many. He opened the door for players to get deals with shoe companies and other endorsements. Look at Gatorade, etc. They had no real involvement of players until MJ was around.
I do agree with you on the fact that maybe just because LJ is doing it, he shouldn't tell everyone else to do it. That's something the league and owners should decide upon.