In team sports, there are only a handful of things you can do to distinguish yourself from your teammates. Often players select a number that holds significance to them, and the case is no different for Bronny James. This would be a year of firsts for the Lakers rookie, including a new jersey number.
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After a rough season at USC, Bronny is aiming for a fresh start and has adopted a new jersey number to do the same. The Lakers announced during Bronny’s introductory press conference that he will be wearing a No. 9 jersey. In the same conference, James Jr. spoke about how his jersey number is a homage to Juice WRLD.
“Juice has just been a big part of me keeping calm in some situations that I’ve been through … so, yeah, just paying homage to him especially because he passed.”
“Juice has been a big part of me keeping calm in some situations I’ve been through.”
Bronny James pays homage to the late Juice WRLD by wearing the #9 for LAL pic.twitter.com/DxMzMThEPi
— NBA (@NBA) July 2, 2024
Juice WRLD passed away tragically in 2019, but the impact he left on the world and on Bronny still remains.
How did LeBron James react to Bronny’s jersey number?
LeBron James has been there for his son every step of the way, and his jersey number announcement was no different. When the Lakers announced Bronny would be wearing No. 9 threads, LeBron took to his social media to give out a 2-word reaction.
“NO WORDS!!”
View this post on Instagram
However, it wasn’t just Bron who reacted to Bronny’s Lakers threads. A former No. 9 for the Lakers, Nick Van Exel, also showed his support for Junior. Van Exel took to X and reacted with, “Let’s gooooooo!!!!!!!”
LeBron saw ESPN share Van Exel’s reaction and reacted to his tweet with praise for the Lakers legend.
That’s so TOUGH!! Nick the Quick was SO COLD!!!!! https://t.co/p6TSgfnl1S
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 28, 2024
There are quite a few big names who have rocked the No. 9 threads for the Purple and Gold like Byron Russell, Rajon Rondo, Matt Barnes, and more.
What jersey numbers has Bronny worn previously?
Over the years, Bronny has various different numbers. Back at Sierra Canyon, Bronny rocked a No. 0 jersey. Back then, he shared he was wearing the No. 0 threads in honor of one of his favorite players, Russell Westbrook. However, during the summer, Bronny would switch to No. 6 while playing for Team Striving For Greatness(SFG) at the Nike EYBL.
Bronny rocked a No. 6 jersey at the McDonald’s All-American Game back in 2023.
Bronny is FEELING IT from deep in the first half ♨️ #McDonaldsAllAmerican
: ESPN pic.twitter.com/kXNzFVzZUd
— ESPN (@espn) March 29, 2023
In his lone year at USC, Bronny continued with a No. 6 jersey. Coming into the NBA, both his former numbers, 0 and 6, were unavailable. No. 6 was retired league-wide by the NBA in honor of Bill Russell, whereas No. 0 had already been taken by Jalen Hood-Schifino. Making the best of the situation, Bronny flipped the 6 and decided to go ahead with 9 for his NBA debut.
