Thursday was a whirlwind news day for Lakers fans, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the team will trim its tentative roster to just three players on July 6th in a move to clear maximum salary space and potentially welcome a third superstar this summer, and that Anthony Davis will waive his $4 million trade bonus in a move to help the team build a roster.
The thousands of fans who bought LeBron James jerseys also may soon find their team gear outdated, as news broke James will reportedly give up No. 23 to incoming teammate Anthony Davis, who has worn the number since his rookie season.
According to Yahoo, James will switch numbers for the upcoming season.
Via Yahoo:
“Lakers superstar LeBron James is gifting Anthony Davis his No. 23, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
The league has been notified of the pending jersey change, sources said.”
James previously changed him number from 23 to 6 when he left Cleveland for Miami in 2010, and went back to 23 upon returning to Cleveland in 2014.
No. 6 will be open for James if he wants it, as his only other remaining teammate once the flurry of trades becomes official will be Kyle Kuzma, who wears No. 0.
The Lakers have a total of 11 retired numbers James will have to avoid:
8, 24: Kobe Bryant
13: Wilt Chamberlain
22: Elgin Baylor
25: Gail Goodrich
32: Magic Johnson
33: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
34: Shaquille O’Neal
42: James Worthy
44: Jerry West
52: Jamaal Wilkes
