LeBron James has been wearing No. 23 on his jersey since 10th grade. Now he’s looking to give it up. Last week, King James announced that next season he’ll be wearing No. 6 and giving up No. 23 to honor Michael Jordan for being the greatest basketball player of all time. He thinks that everyone in the NBA should do the same and that the league should retire the number. Far-fetched? LeBron is serious about it. “I just think what Michael Jordan has done for the game has to be recognized some way soon,” James told ESPN. “There would be no LeBron James, no Kobe Bryant, no Dwyane Wade if there wasn’t Michael Jordan first. He can’t get the logo [Hall of Famer Jerry West's silhouette adorns the NBA's logo], and if he can’t, something has to be done. I feel like no NBA player should wear 23. I’m starting a petition, and I’ve got to get everyone in the NBA to sign it. Now, if I’m not going to wear No. 23, then nobody else should be able to wear it.” The NBA has never retired a number. Major League Baseball retired No. 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson, and the National Hockey League retired No. 99 for Wayne Gretsky. The Chicago Bulls retired Jordan’s number, but James doesn’t think that’s enough. “If you see 23, you think about Michael Jordan,” James told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “You see game-winning shots, you think about Michael Jordan; you see guys fly through the air, you think about Michael Jordan; you see fly kicks, you think about Michael Jordan. He did so much, it has to be recognized, and not just by putting him in the Hall of Fame.”

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