4x Bill Russell Finals MVP LeBron James Addresses Being Amongst The Last to Wear No.6 

Lakers superstar LeBron James reflects on being one of the last wear no.6 after the late great Bill Russell.

Earlier this year, in August, the NBA lost one of its founding pillars in Bill Russell. An irreplaceable loss, the Celtics legend paved the way for the future generation of athletes. Mr. Eleven Rings not only impressed us with his talent on the hardwood but also inspired the sports world with his activism.

Russell, who passed away at the age of 88-years-old, left behind a legacy that the NBA promises to honor for eternity, which began with permanently retiring jersey no.6, followed by all teams deciding to have the no.6 patch on their jerseys too.

The NBA legend played his entire career for Boston, bringing the city 11 championships. Thus it was only befitting that the Celtics organization decided to pay its season-long tribute, adding no.6 in the parquet paint of the iconic TD arena. In the coming days, one can expect Commissioner Adam Silver to pay homage to Russell in more ways than one.

Also read: After LeBron James’ retirement, Miami Heat will have to retire no.6 second time following Bill Russell’s league-wide tribute

With the trials beginning for the upcoming season, the media caught up with LeBron James, one of the last players to don no.6. The Lakers superstar recalled memories of receiving the iconic Bill Russell Finals MVP award.

LeBron James addresses being one of the last players to wear no.6.

Post the sad demise of Celtics legend Bill Russell, the NBA and NBPA announced the decision to permanently retire the no.6. This means that no players in the future will be issued this particular number. However, this ruling doesn’t exist for the current players wearing no.6.

According to NBA.com, players who wore no.6 in the 2021-22 season are LeBron James, Alex Caruso, Kristaps Porzingis, Lou Williams, and Lance Stephenson, among many others. Russell is one of the 12 Hall of Famers who wore no.6 at some point in his career.

Recently, King James reflected on being one of the last fortunate ones to wear no.6.

A four-time Finals MVP, James, remembered collecting the trophy from the legend’s hands. Similar to Russell, the kid from Akron never hesitates to voice his opinions on social issues. A philanthropist, James’ I Promise Foundation is evidence of this.

Also read: Skip Bayless cold-heartedly attacks 6’9” LeBron James for not posting a social media post about Bill Russell’s passing