LeBron James’ switching #23 not all about Jordan
LeBron James announced that he is going to switch his jersey number form #23 to #6, the number he wears in the Olympics.
The King believes the league should retire No. 23 jersey number league-wide in honor of Michael Jordan, who won six NBA championships and is regularly celebrated as the NBA’s greatest player ever.
He urged other players wearing #23 to follow his lead. (Should the NBA retire #23 altogether?)
Thirteen current NBA players wear no. 23, including James, Kevin Martin, Jason Richardson, Toney Douglas, and Marcus Camby.
King James’ Ulterior Motive?
But does any one else think that there’s more to LeBron’s move than just respect for Jordan?
The pessimist in me thinks that LeBron, as great as he is, doesn’t want to be forever linked to the greatest NBA player of all-time. Any player will admit that being compared to the greatest is an unfair comparison, even LeBron realizes this.
The dedication is a good facade for the switch, but move isn’t entirely altruistic in honoring Michael Jordan, it’s convenient that it will ensure LeBron creates a legacy of his own.
By the time LeBron James’ career ends, James may be in the argument as one of the best NBA players to have every suited up, and if he continued wearing #23, well it’s going to be easy to compare his career to Michael Jordan’s legacy.
We also all may recall how Michael Jordan made No. 23 a mystical number. Then, after his first retirement, he returned at the end of the 1994-95 season wearing No. 45, but met failure in the playoffs. He reverted to No. 23 the next season and three more championships followed. He will always be No. 23.
With James selecting to change his jersey to #6, he still would have to go against other great #6s in NBA history; Julius Erving, Bill Russell, and Walter Davis, but if James continued wearing #23, there would always be an argument on who was the best #23.
On the surface, it’s a legitimate move in honor of Jordan, unlike Kobe Bryant’s switch back in 2006, when he moved from No. 8 to No. 24 which was entirely a marketing/make money move.
So, LeBron chose 23 to honor Jordan, then gives it up to honor Jordan sparking your pessimistic suspicion that he is really doing it because he is afraid that he can’t live up to the Legend of MJ. Then he switches to #6 without thought of honoring or dihonoring Russell or Erving…
Then you backtrack to say “On the surface, it’s a legitimate move in honor of Jordan, unlike Kobe Bryant’s switch back in 2006, when he moved from No. 8 to No. 24 which was entirely a marketing/make money move.”
Why write an article questioning LeBron’s motives only to backpedal at the end reversing your own opinion and smacking Kobe as an opportunistic marketer. LeBron, the self proclaimed “Global Icon” isn’t? And don’t you think Kobe, after enduring Eagle and Shaq might legitimately want a clean start with a new identity? You do know he put in for the switch to 24 the prior year only to learn that there was a deadline and had to wait a year, right? And what does Kobe have to do with LeBron switching from 23?
You almost had a legitimate point with LeBron’s true motives, but then fumbled it away at the goalline trying to do your Sack-Kobe dance.
December 23rd, 2009 at 11:59 am
Read: “On the surface,” and “not entirely altruistic” Kobe’s move was strictly money, and on the surface and out of LeBron’s mouth – it’s a dedication to Jordan with a huge benefit in creating his own legacy.
December 23rd, 2009 at 12:19 pm