2023-07-17 07:31:03
A year after the death of legend Bill Russell, the Lakers have decided to retire the number 6 of the former Boston Celtics player, eleven times NBA champion. LeBron James will therefore find his legendary number 23.
The NBA is preparing to celebrate the first anniversary of Bill Russell’s death. The man with eleven championship titles with Boston died at the age of 88 on July 31, 2022. To salute the memory of the fervent civil rights activist in the 1960s, the NBA and the players’ association had decided that his famous number 6 would be retired from all franchises except the players who wore it. This was particularly the case for LeBron James with the Lakers, the great “rivals” of the Celtics and also holders of 17 champion banners.
No immediate retirement for LeBron James
But the top scorer in NBA history announced, via his agent, that he was going to take back his legendary number 23. Information confirmed by the Lakers this weekend. The quadruple League champion therefore finds the number of his debut in Cleveland in 2003. He then endorsed the 6 when he arrived in Miami in 2010, before finding the 23 with the Cavs then in Los Angeles in 2018. For two seasons , he had found number 6 with the Angelinos.
In the fall, LBJ will play its 21st season in the NBA, one unit from the absolute record. Drafted in first position by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003, the 38-year-old player does not intend to stop there, as he confirmed a few days ago during the ESPYS awards ceremony, organized by ESPN , where he received the “best record performance” award, for bringing down last February the NBA points record held since 1984 by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
“I don’t care how many extra points I score, or what I can or can’t do on the pitch. The real question for me is: ‘Can I play without cheating? I won’t be able to give my all on the field, it will be over. Fortunately for you, that day is not today,” he said, no doubt motivated by the prospect of playing one day with his eldest son Bronny ( 18 years old), expected for the Draft 2024.
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