Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has agreed to give his jersey number to soon-to-be teammate, Anthony Davis.
The NBA has been informed of the impending jersey change, according to Yahoo Sports.
In a deal that is expected to be finalized on July 6, the Lakers agreed to take Davis – a former top-overall pick and six-time All-Star – from New Orleans in exchange for a package built around Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball.
Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has agreed to give his jersey number to soon-to-be teammate, Anthony Davis. The NBA has been informed of the impending jersey change, according to Yahoo Sports
In a deal that is expected to be finalized on July 6, the Lakers agreed to take Davis – a former top-overall pick and six-time All-Star – from New Orleans in exchange for a package built around Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball. It is not yet clear what number James will wear next season, but fans were quick to remember James’s dominance in Miami with the No. 6, when he reached the NBA Finals four times and won his first two league titles
James wore No. 23 in his first season in L.A., but that happens to be the same jersey that the 26-year-old Davis has worn throughout his seven-year career.
That number, which famously belonged to Michael Jordan, was first worn by a teenage James during his days at Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. James then kept the jersey when he was taken by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first-overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft – when Davis was just 10 – but the four-time NBA MVP took No. 6 during his four-year stint with the Miami Heat.
James went back to No. 23 when he returned to Cleveland in 2014.
It is not yet clear what number James will wear next season, but fans were quick to remember James’s dominance in Miami with the No. 6, when he reached the NBA Finals four times and won his first two league titles.
‘The league is gonna be in trouble now that no. 6 LeBron is coming back,’ wrote one Twitter user while ‘6 LeBron’ trended on the social media platform.
James was technically still in his 20s the last time he wore No. 6. Although he struggled with injuries during his disappointing first season with the Lakers in 2018-19, the 34-year-old still averaged 27.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
James reached the NBA Finals four times with the Miami Heat, winning his first two titles
One Twitter user likened James to former WWE wrestler Kane to explain the difference in jersey numbers
Former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant saw his jersey sales spike after the 2006-07 season when he decided to change to No. 24 from No. 8, presumably because many of his fans bought the updated merchandise.
James ranked tops in jersey sales in 2018-19 after switching from the Cavaliers to the Lakers.
While No. 6 is available with the Lakers, many other jerseys numbers are not: 8 (Bryant), 13 (Wilt Chamberlain), 22 (Elgin Baylor), 24 (Bryant), 25 (Gail Goodrich), 32 (Magic Johnson), 33 (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), 34 (Shaquille O’Neal), 42 (James Worthy), 44 (Jerry West), and 52 (Jamaal Wilkes).
On Thursday the Lakers reworked their trade for Davis to clear enough cap space to sign a free agent to a max deal, according to multiple reports.
The Lakers expanded their pending deal with the New Orleans Pelicans by adding the Washington Wizards, who will receive center Mo Wagner, guard Isaac Bonga and forward Jemerrio Jones, as well as a future second-round pick, from Los Angeles, according to ESPN.
The Wizards will send the Pelicans $1.1 million, the Washington Post reported.
Davis also agreed to waive his $4 million trade bonus, giving the team $32 million for the free agency period, which begins Sunday at 6pm ET. Contracts cannot be signed until July 6.
The three-way deal among the Lakers, Pelicans and Wizards will become official that day. Los Angeles agreed to send Ball, Ingram, Josh Hart and three first-round picks to New Orleans for Davis.
The Lakers have interest in Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard and Brooklyn Nets point guard D’Angelo Russell – a restricted free agent – league sources told ESPN. If the Lakers don’t sign a max free agent to pair with superstars Davis and LeBron Jones, then they could divide their cap space to sign multiple free agents.
Leonard, the NBA Finals MVP, has agreed to meet with the Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers when free agency opens, according to Yahoo Sports. The Raptors also are making a bid to re-sign him.
Wagner, the No. 25 pick in the 2018 draft, averaged 4.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 43 games as a rookie. The 19-year-old Bonga spent most of last season in the G League but appeared in 22 games for the Lakers, averaging 0.9 points, 0.7 assists and 5.5 minutes. Jones also spent much of last season in the G League, playing in six games with Los Angeles.
The Lakers expanded their pending deal with the New Orleans Pelicans by adding the Washington Wizards, who will receive center Mo Wagner, guard Isaac Bonga and forward Jemerrio Jones, as well as a future second-round pick, from L.A., according to ESPN. The Wizards will send the Pelicans $1.1 million, the Washington Post reported. Davis also agreed to waive his $4 million trade bonus, giving the team $32 million for the free agency period, which begins Sunday at 6pm ET. Contracts cannot be signed until July 6. The three-way deal among the Lakers, Pelicans and Wizards will become official that day. Los Angeles agreed to send Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and three first-round picks to New Orleans for Davis