LeBron James Changes Jersey Number, Maybe, Because 23 is Retired in Miami?

Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James announced that he just sent in paperwork to have his uniform number changed from 23 to 6. The official word is that it's a tribute to Michael Jordan, though the number 23 figures quite prominently into the logo used for his Nike apparel. Why the...

By Kyle Munzenrieder

March 2, 2010

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Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James announced that he just sent in paperwork to have his uniform number changed from 23 to 6. The official word is that it's a tribute to Michael Jordan, though the number 23 figures quite prominently into the logo used for his Nike apparel. Why the sudden change?

Yahoo! Sports' Ball Don't Lie blog points out an interesting conspiracy theory: the number 23 is already retired in Miami. Pat Riley had it hung up during the 2002-03 season as a tribute to Jordan. We are desperately trying to not read too much into it.

One problem though, Miami already has a number six: Mario Chalmers, who recently returned from injury.

Of course, LeBron would only have to file the paperwork if he stays with the Cavs. If he ends up with a new team next season he'd be free to chose any available number. Though, when you've got a personal brand as big as James', it might be best to get your numbers set before anything big goes down.

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