LeBron James has been tied to two numbers throughout his career, and he has now decided which one he will wear with the Philadelphia 76ers.
James is returning to his classic No. 23 with the Sixers. The team revealed the news on Monday with a social media post of James’ new locker.
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) July 27, 2026
James has worn No. 23 for the bulk of his career, including with Cleveland and generally with the Los Angeles Lakers. He wore No. 6 for his Miami Heat tenure, as well as for two seasons with the Lakers. That number has been retired league-wide in honor of Bill Russell, and the 76ers had also retired it themselves in honor of Julius Erving.
No. 23 is not strongly associated with anyone in 76ers history, which might have helped James’ decision. The most prominent player to wear it was Jimmy Butler during his brief stint with the franchise in 2019. Lou Williams and Jason Richardson are the last two players to wear it for more than one season.
The jersey number probably wasn’t a huge factor in James’ decision to join the Sixers, as there were other keys involved. It makes sense that he is sticking with familiarity for this one, though.
