Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James made NBA news headlines again on Friday night after it was announced that the four-time champ is set to change his jersey number for the upcoming season — again. Apparently, LeBron will forgo his No. 6 jersey to return to his original No. 23 shirt.
NBA News: Devin Booker Is The Big Loser Of LeBron James’ Number Change
The Lakers made the announcement on their official Twitter account:
It’s official. 23 is back. pic.twitter.com/hEqb5rQANk
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 16, 2023
This isn’t the best news for Devin Booker.
Back in 2021, the Lakers faced off against the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs. With the Suns up 3-2 after five games, Booker dropped 47 points all over LeBron and Co. en route to a series-clinching Game 6 victory for Phoenix.
After the game, LeBron congratulated Booker for his all-time performance by gifting the Suns star with his game-worn jersey that also had a special message written on it. That jersey would have been special already, but what took it over the edge is the fact that James decided to switch to the No. 6 the following season. That was potentially the last No. 23 jersey LeBron ever wore in his career, which obviously would have cost a lot of money.
Booker really thought he got the last game worn LeBron #23 jersey 😭 pic.twitter.com/STQQDE6IjY
— Masked 🎭 (@MaskedInLA) July 16, 2023
Unfortunately for Booker, the fact that LeBron decided to go back to 23 next season only means that the game-worn and autographed jersey he has in his possession will be much less valuable than it used to be. This is obviously a tough blow for the Suns star, but in truth, he probably had no intention of selling anyway.
NBA News: How The Milwaukee Bucks Tie In To All This
What would have made that series win over LeBron and the Lakers for Booker is if they were able to go all the way and win the title that year. They actually came extremely close, taking out the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Clippers, respectively, in the succeeding rounds of the playoffs.
Unfortunately for Booker and the Suns, they matched up against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Finals. Phoenix put in a good fight, but in the end, it was the Bucks that were declared the 2021 NBA Champions after taking out the Suns in six games.
For More Wisconsin Sports:
Follow me on Twitter at @PaoloSongcoNBA, and follow us @WiSportsHeroics. Also, check out our Merchandise Here! Get 20% off with the code “WSH.” You can also reach out to Paolo Songco via email at pao.songco@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Wisconsin sports, click here! Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers.
