Lord James wants to change his number

[DJ Mbenga]

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- LeBron James fans, get ready to make some room in your closet for No. 6 jerseys.

James told The Plain Dealer on Monday that he's filed the paperwork with the NBA office to switch his jersey number from No. 23 to No. 6 next season. He had to make the decision this week, the deadline to make the request to the NBA is Wednesday.
James first brought up the idea in November, saying he wanted to give up No. 23 out of respect to his hero, Michael Jordan. At that time he said he was "50/50" on switching to No. 6, his Olympic number and the day of the month his first son was born. That now seems to be 100 percent.
"I've done it," James said. "I already sent it in. I'm going to be No. 6."
The NBA does not have to fulfill the request, players who don't change teams have to apply to change their number in March before the previous season. However, the wave of new jersey sales the switch promises to trigger would likely be too enticing for the league to turn down.
In 2006, Kobe Bryant requested his number to be changed from No. 8 to No. 24. The NBA approved the move and Bryant's jerseys quickly shot to No. 1 in sales across the world. James has been in the top three in jersey sales in the U.S., China and Europe in recent years but hasn't enjoyed the top spot for several years.
Player do not directly benefit from merchandise sales, however. It goes into a league-wide pool that is distributed to teams and then players based on seniority.
Jordan, of course, also pulled such a move. He switched to No. 45 for part of a season when he came out of retirement for the first time with the Chicago Bulls.
Other than playing for Team USA, the last time James did not wear No. 23 was during his freshman year of high school when he wore No. 32 because a senior was wearing 23.

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2010/03/lebron_james_files_application.html

[Budkin]

Hmm, now everyone will have to re-buy his jersey. I see what you did there.

[DJ Mbenga]

Last November called, it wants it's news story back.

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2009/11/lebron_james_planning_to_give.html

now its officially filed for application. god bless you and your injuries

[lurker]

Hmm, now everyone will have to re-buy his jersey. I see what you did there.
They'll have to do that when Lebron ditches Cleveland anyway.

[alchemist]

Bryant's PR team did a great job of switching his rape number to new one, wiping the slate clean.

[lefty]

It's symbolic

Bryant went from 24 to 8 because he decided to lower his shots attempts by 16/game.

Same thing with Lebron when it comes to the number of steps that he takes when he is crabwalking.

[Xevious]

He wants to retire number 23 to honor Jordon, but switches to Julius Erving and Bill freakin' Russell's number. :wakeup

[BRHornet45]

sons the NBA is in on this. they probably offer their star players a bonus check for changing numbers. knowing damn well fans will have to buy more jerseys.

[angelbelow]

now its officially filed for application. god bless you and your injuries

:lol

[AussieFanKurt]

Fuck KingCrab

[gaKNOW!blee]

It's symbolic

Bryant went from 24 to 8 because he decided to lower his shots attempts by 16/game.

Same thing with Lebron when it comes to the number of steps that he takes when he is crabwalking.

what the fuck are you talking about?

[TheMACHINE]

Lebron didnt want MJ to be the second best 23 ever. That's honor my friends.

[Thunder Dan]

Donnie Walsh just fucked the Knicks worse than Zeke did

[nkdlunch]

6 is a damn shitty number. No matter how much better Lebron is than MJ or how many ships more he wins. 6 still gonna be a shitty number

[The Gemini Method]

Is his new number the allotted number of steps before he'll be called for travelling next season?

[CubanMustGo]

Change it to zero until such time as he actually wins something besides a popularity contest.

[EmptyMan]

Hmm, now everyone will have to re-buy his jersey. I see what you did there.


They'll have to do that when Lebron ditches Cleveland anyway.

:lol

[LakeShow]

Crazy that he tried to use Jordan as the reason for changing his number when we all know it's about the money.

I predicted that Kobe would go back to Number 8 before he retires from the Lakers. He'll make up some lame sentimental reason why he chose to go back to 8 but we all know it's to resell more Jerseys. Book it!

[lefty]

what the fuck are you talking about?
Irony

[TheMACHINE]

Crazy that he tried to use Jordan as the reason for changing his number when we all know it's about the money.

I predicted that Kobe would go back to Number 8 before he retires from the Lakers. He'll make up some lame sentimental reason why he chose to go back to 8 but we all know it's to resell more Jerseys. Book it!

Kobe should just do 23 to piss off Lebron. lol

[LakeShow]

Kobe should just do 23 to piss off Lebron. lol

:lol

[Amaso]

Is his new number the allotted number of steps before he'll be called for travelling next season?

:lol

:rollin

[lefty]

Is his new number the allotted number of steps before he'll be called for travelling next season?
You just didn't see my post did you? :pctoss

[The Gemini Method]

You just didn't see my post did you? :pctoss

I decided to disregard your post because you posted Kobe went from 24 to 8...

;)

[lefty]

I decided to disregard your post because you posted Kobe went from 24 to 8...

;)
You didn't get it

I said 24 to 8 on purpose, referring to his shots/game; Kobe said he would shoot less, but that hasn't really changed

Cynicism

[monosylab1k]

You didn't get it

I said 24 to 8 on purpose, referring to his shots/game; Kobe said he would shoot less, but that hasn't really changed

Cynicism

that doesn't make your post any less retarded

[picc84]

Having to explain your joke = fail
Having to explain your joke and it still is retarded = epic fail

[lefty]

that doesn't make your post any less retarded
Coming from you, it can't hurt :lmao

[lefty]

Having to explain your joke = fail
Having to explain your joke and it still is retarded = epic fail
Can you explain this to me please?

[The Gemini Method]

You didn't get it

I said 24 to 8 on purpose, referring to his shots/game; Kobe said he would shoot less, but that hasn't really changed

Cynicism

Well, the cynicism was faint to say the least, but I can see where you were going with it. Still, I disregarded said post and went with the travelling remark. In all honesty, I didn't see your response lol.

[lefty]

Well, the cynicism was faint to say the least, but I can see where you were going with it. Still, I disregarded said post and went with the travelling remark. In all honesty, I didn't see your response lol.
It's all good :lol:toast

[JoeTait75]

They'll have to do that when Lebron ditches Cleveland anyway.

If he was ditching Cleveland there'd be no reason to file for the change now. He would just request a new number on arrival in the new city.

If anything, this is more evidence that LeBron is staying Cleveland- which of course, anyone with half a brain knew anyway.

[Ryvin1]

If he was ditching Cleveland there'd be no reason to file for the change now. He would just request a new number on arrival in the new city.

If anything, this is more evidence that LeBron is staying Cleveland- which of course, anyone with half a brain knew anyway.

Don't players get a bonus on jersey sales? If they do, I can see Lebron making this change to decrease the difference in money he could lose going to another city and selling more jerseys. It could point to his greater consideration of staying in Cleveland, and as you say it's not an automatic choice to leave or he's just take care of that when changing teams.

[robbie380]

If he was ditching Cleveland there'd be no reason to file for the change now. He would just request a new number on arrival in the new city.

If anything, this is more evidence that LeBron is staying Cleveland- which of course, anyone with half a brain knew anyway.

lebron ain't leaving and wade is staying put. new york better hope they get bosh and joe johnson...

new york media overhyped the 2010 free agent season and new york has screwed their franchise for the next decade. i wonder who they are going to overpay for if bosh and jj don't come there.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Heat-are-95-percent-sure-Wade-will-re-sign-thi;_ylt=AndTQ..SxCOAnLM_6W83b7S8vLYF?urn=nba,2250 50

Heat are '95 percent' sure Wade will re-sign this summer
By Trey Kerby

I recently attended a taping for Rick Reilly's "Homecoming" featuring Dwyane Wade(notes). At every commercial break, someone from the crowd would yell about Wade coming to play for his hometown Bulls. Every time, he would just smile.

I've got bad news, Bulls fans, it sounds like it ain't happening.

"The bottom line is he has publicly and privately said that this is where he wants to be," [Heat owner Micky] Arison said before Saturday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks. "I believe him. I'm 95 percent sure that he would be here next year. You can never be 100."


Of course, Arison is in the midst of signing up season ticket holders for next year, so he's going to want to paint a pretty picture of the upcoming season. But there are a lot of reasons Wade wouldn't want to leave Miami.

As Ira Winderman details, if the Heat can snag a good free agent this summer, they'll have a decent nucleus that can compete in the East. Plus there's no income tax in Florida. Oh, and it's Florida. The appeal is pretty obvious.

But don't worry, Chicago. Brad Miller(notes) is going to play forever. That's an OK consolation prize in my book.

Related: Dwyane Wade, Brad Miller, Milwaukee Bucks

[endrity]

Only LBJ is staying put. Miami and Toronto are going nowhere, no reason for Wade and Bosh to stay there if they value winning.

[Will Hunting]

You didn't get it


I'm pretty sure the issue isn't him not getting it, it's the fact it isn't funny.

[sa_kid20]

He wants to retire number 23 to honor Jordon, but switches to Julius Erving and Bill freakin' Russell's number. :wakeup

:lol Exactly what I was thinking. Lame ass excuse from LeBron. Everyone knows its about the money. It's not about honoring shit.

[23LeBronJames23]

Cool LeBron is staying in Cleveland.

[lefty]

I'm pretty sure the issue isn't him not getting it, it's the fact it isn't funny.
All your posts suggest that you are a retard

[lefty]

Cool LeBron is staying in Cleveland.
You realize that you're gonna have to change your screen name, right?

[The Gemini Method]

You realize that you're gonna have to change your screen name, right?

Or, he could add a X and an = 6 and he'll be a-ok for the next season...

[duncan228]

LeBron’s M.J. tribute is all about business (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AvRHTnshzobhY.opZ5KG_a28vLYF?slug=aw-lebronjordan030210&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)
By Adrian Wojnarowski

LeBron James isn’t honoring the greatness of No. 23, but manipulating Michael Jordan’s marketing savvy. The changing of his jersey number as a nod to M.J.’s basketball career is a purely fictional cover story. It’s a tribute to Jordan all right, but more like a cynical ode to his business sense. James wants to grow his global brand and push product; flooding the market with a fresh jersey number does the job.

Between now and then, James ought to spare us the fantasy that moving from No. 23 to No. 6 is about anyone or anything else.

All about Michael?

This is all about LeBron.

When LeBron James should be most concerned with taking Kobe Bryant’s NBA title, he’s making a bid for his standing as the No. 1 seller of NBA jerseys. James watched Bryant make the switch from No. 8 to No. 24 and how it moved him to the top of the list. For the past two seasons, James has finished second to Bryant. No more, James decided. Kobe gave him the blueprint for selling out stock, and now LeBron’s embraced it.

Looking back, Bryant never tried to turn his jersey change into some magnanimous gesture. He switched numbers, and that was that. He wanted to sell jerseys, and he did. He never pretended it was a genuflection to anything but commerce.

Somehow, James has boxed himself with this ridiculous story about how no one should ever wear No. 23, and he’s the first to give it up and maybe everyone else should follow him. This was met with a roll of the eyes, with everyone asking: Wait, you’re giving up No. 23 to take … No. 6?

What about Bill Russell and his 11 NBA championships? Jordan, the greatest ever, cleared a path for the worldly basketball star. But Russell was a black star in turbulent Boston in the 1960s. He anchored the greatest dynasty in the sport’s history, and they’ll remember him as the most dominant defensive player to ever live. In the end, James and everyone else understand this has nothing to do with Jordan or Russell, with No. 23 or No. 6. This is business, and he’s insulting everyone’s intelligence suggesting it’s something else.

The idea that James is honoring Jordan is, well, pure mythology. In a lot of ways, LeBron’s working to distance himself from him. Truth be told, they are rivals far more than confidants. With different lines of shoes, they are competing for power within Nike. They’ll be competing in the Eastern Conference, where the Charlotte Bobcats have beaten the Cavaliers two of three times this season and could be an opening-round opponent. They’ll be competing in collective bargaining talks, owner versus player.

They’ve never been close, although Jordan has never been overly generous with the next generation of NBA icons. He’ll show those players within the Jordan Brand some attention, but his interaction with LeBron and Kobe mostly stems from professional courtesy. Jordan is still protective of his legacy as the greatest player ever, and he’s never been terribly motivated to lend a hand in the overtaking of that.

Around the time James started with his bit about retiring Jordan’s number, Jordan sat with Pat Riley in Miami for a Cavs-Heat game in November. It didn’t go unnoticed to those sitting around them how often James would peer over, searching for some kind of approval from Jordan. He’d make a play and glance over – and it was probably no accident that Jordan offered little to no response. After all, Jordan was there to promote Dwyane Wade as an endorser to his line of shoes, so James was treated as afterthought.

“He’s always looked for that approval from Michael,” one Jordan associate says, “and I don’t know that he’s ever really gotten it – or ever will.”

So James filed paperwork with the NBA prior to the Wednesday deadline, and should he stay with the Cavaliers he’ll wear his Olympic team No. 6 next season. Should he leave, he can wear whatever he wants. Between now and then, no one else will care much about how many jerseys he sells, about how far he surpasses Bryant on the NBA’s list in 2011.

For all his fascination with global branding, with empire building, peddling jerseys doesn’t move LeBron closer to Jordan and Bryant and Russell. Only championships do.

This time, the Cavs have delivered James the supporting cast to do it. No more excuses. James comes armed for the Lakers now. He comes with his legacy on the line, measured in one indisputable and defining way: Before he beats him in the NBA Store, LeBron James needs to beat Kobe Bryant in the NBA Finals.

[Drachen]

The article above isn't totally true. Kobe specifically stated that he was changing numbers in order to better incorporate the newly aquired Lamar Odom (whose number is 7). He said, this is to show the fans that we are going to be working and winning 24/7.

[HarlemHeat37]

Kobe's # change was a marketing decision that was part of his change of image..it worked..

The maximum sentence for rape in California without any other charges is 8 years..that's probably why he picked the #8 in the first place, so it makes sense that he changed it..

[Venti Quattro]

Kobe's # change was a marketing decision that was part of his change of image..it worked..

The maximum sentence for rape in California without any other charges is 8 years..that's probably why he picked the #8 in the first place, so it makes sense that he changed it..
But he was tried in a Colorado court.

[duncan228]

LeBron’s New Jersey Won’t Bring Him More Money (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-lebronsnewjerseywont&prov=tsn&type=lgns)
SportingNews

Very few people believed LeBron James when he said he’s changing his number from 23 to 6 specifically to honor Michael Jordan. Yesterday, Adrian Wojnarowski wrote a well-received column (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Aq4X62X73RXnXyYWZX43zsyzvLYF?slug=aw-lebronjordan030210&prov=yhoo&type=lgns) that stated what we were all thinking: LeBron’s doing it for the money.

Yet, as Darren Rovell noted today, things are a little more complicated than that (http://www.cnbc.com/id/35691058):

In the NBA, unlike the NFL, the money made from jersey sales and other licensed products has been shared equally since the 1995 group licensing agreement was put together by the union.

That means that LeBron’s teammate Anderson Varejao makes as much as LeBron, even though sales of James’ jersey ranks second in the league and Varejao isn’t close to the top 50.

So while LeBron’s new jersey will likely increase the total number of jerseys sold, the change wouldn’t give him any more money than it would for any other player. Woj responded to Rovell (http://twitter.com/WojYahooNBA/status/9937007757) and said that becoming the top player on the jersey sales list matters in terms of his status as a global icon, but that’s an indirect money issue rather than a matter of pure dollars and cents.

Selling a new jersey doesn’t necessarily increase the total number of LeBron jerseys on the market—it just replaces the old ones with the new number. Maybe it makes LeBron marginally more marketable, but we’re already talking about the best and most talked-about player in the league.

If LeBron really cared only about money and marketability, he wouldn’t have bothered with the number change and would’ve bolted to the Knicks this summer without a moment’s thought. As hard as it sometimes is to believe, other things matter.