LeBron James recently announced that he will be switching his jersey number back to #23 next season. He will be doing this to honor the late great Bill Russell, who wore the #6 during his time in the NBA. For the most part, this decision has received positive reactions from fans. However, Skip Bayless for one saw ulterior motives in the sudden move, something he made very apparent on Twitter. Bayless made sure to tie his reasoning with LeBron James trying to emulate Michael Jordan.
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James has switched jersey numbers quite a few times in his career. During his initial days in the NBA, he wore the #23. However, once he joined the Miami Heat, he shifted it to #6. Following his return to Cleveland, he put on #23 again. This remained the case till he joined the Lakers, when he changed it back to #6 again. And he will soon don the #23 once again.
Skip Bayless brings up the GOAT conversation regarding LeBron James’ jersey change
Skip Bayless is not the kind of man to stop seeing the worst in LeBron James. Many fans believe it won’t be conducive to his career, considering he has built himself up as James’ most famous detractor.
So when the 71-year-old analyst tweeted regarding the Lakers star’s jersey change decision, few were surprised. As the tweet gained traction, fans poured in to debate the veteran FS1 host’s opinion. Take a look at Bayless’s tweet below.
“I believe LeBron will change back to No. 23 for 2 reasons: 1) to honor Bill Russell and 2) to resend the absurd message he’s now, as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, the GOAT, better than Jordan. Only fools believe that. LeBron James wearing 23 is a disgrace.”
“I believe LeBron will change back to No. 23 for 2 reasons: 1) to honor Bill Russell and 2) to resend the absurd message he’s now, as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, the GOAT, better than Jordan. Only fools believe that. LeBron James wearing 23 is a disgrace.”
The GOAT debate has run rampant for quite some time now within the NBA community. And admittedly, there is no doubt that Skip brings it up the most. A lot of the NBA-based content on his show is very much that. So, when he saw this golden opportunity to compare James and Michael Jordan again, he was always going to take it.
Bayless believes the whole jersey change is a ploy to gain traction in the GOAT debate. He believes LeBron is sending a message by taking up Jordan’s number 23 as if to suggest that he has finally surpassed the Bulls legend after breaking the NBA’s all-time scoring record.
Reactions to James’ decision
As you might expect, the King’s jersey change made a big splash in the NBA community. Right after news broke, there were some fans who appreciated James changing his jersey out of respect for Bill Russell. Others, like Skip Bayless, couldn’t help but believe he had ulterior motives. The following reactions by ‘Suns Illustrated’ and ‘Orca_MCFC’ to NBA on TNT’s tweet follow the same line of thinking.
However, there were others, like user ‘MVP43’ who had other thoughts on the matter.
Whether he is switching back to #23 to prove he is the GOAT or not, Lakers fans will be hoping he can get back to his best in the upcoming season. After all, with the franchise finally looking ready to compete again, they will need the King to lead them.
