LeBron James: Wearing No. 23 Should Be Off Limits

Courtesy of NBA Fanhouse, Stan Van Gundy offers a sobering take on all of this:

“It’s a nice gesture, but he (Jordan) is not Jackie Robinson. Baseball did it because it had historical significance,‘’ Van Gundy said. "There actually were guys before Michael who could play the game. Then you should retire numbers that (Bill) Russell, Wilt (Chamberlain), and certainly Oscar (Robertson) wore. I understand LeBron didn’t grow up watching those guys, but still. ’’

[…]

“I’m just not one of those guys who thinks unquestionably that he (Jordan) was the best player of all time. I don’t buy that. We’ve had a lot of great players at a lot of positions, so what are you going to do? Retire all the numbers, and pretty soon our guys will be wearing No. 327 because all the two-digit numbers are gone.’’

[…]

“Michael was a great player, and if the NBA wants to decide that every other team in the league has to worship him, then that’s up to them,‘’ Van Gundy said. "Would I be for that? No.’’

And while I respect the opinion of Van Gundy—amidst the torrent of ‘Bron-tribute-coverage, I applaud it—he’s also dead wrong on this one. Jordan was absolutely a transformational figure in the NBA, and his number 23 is iconic for just that reason. It makes sense for the league to retire it sometime in the near future; it’s just a transparently market-motivated move for Lebron to be the one to lead that charge. It’s not his place to tell other players what numbers they can and can’t wear, but because it’ll help sell jerseys and makes him look deferential toward his elders, he wants to petition the league. Even if that comes at the expense of deference toward his peers.

Ooooo… What’s that sound? That’s a cash register, folks. Because of course, any Lebron fanatics will HAVE to go purchase the new jersey, right? Maybe, but as Darren Rovell reports, perhaps James announced this move a bit too early:

When Kobe Bryant changed his number from 8 to 24 after the 2006 season, he proved that he was the most marketable player in the game by shooting to the top of the jersey sale list.

[…]

In 2006, I found out about Bryant’s request a month after he told the league. With LeBron hinting at his change so early, it got me wondering if he hurt sales of his No. 23 this year.

"Many people will wait to see where he’s playing next year if they don’t own a jersey already," Hennion said.

Modell’s chief executive Mitch Modell said the change would be a good thing for business.

"We would sell every "23" to collectors," Modell said. "And it would breathe new life with a new number."

And what’s more, you can call Lebron James a lot of things (breathtaking, dominant, wooden, soulless, contrived…), but don’t you DARE question his pull with the rest of the league:

Have you ever had a friend who one day decided to start living healthier, behaving like a mature adult, and generally just be a better person? Don’t those people suck? I say yes.

At least when they start prescribing behaviors for other people. Like, it’s fine to "do the right thing" and make a personal homage to Michael Jordan, but good ole Lebron just can’t help himself when it comes to hubris. From the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, ’Bron explains the number change:

"I just think what Michael Jordan has done for the game has to be recognized some way soon," James said. "There would be no LeBron James, no Kobe Bryant, no Dwyane Wade if there wasn’t Michael Jordan first.

…Now, if I’m not going to wear No. 23, then nobody else should be able to wear it."

Really? But what about Stephen Graham, Louis Williams, and Devin Brown? Tom Ziller at Fanhouse outlines the guys Lebron would have to convince:

It’s a bit hilarious that LeBron has decided that because he wants to respect MJ by abandoning No. 23, the entire league should do the same. But it’s par for the course, and understood: if any other player had made such a proclamation without LeBron being on-board, we’d be pointing and laughing at them.

All that said, which players currently wear No. 23? Basketball-Reference has the answer:

Devin Brown, Marcus Camby, Toney Douglas, Stephen Graham, Kevin Martin, Wes Matthews, Jodie Meeks, Jason Richardson, C.J. Watson, Martell Webster, Louis Williams.

Five starters, only three of which (Camby, Richardson and Martin) are "name" players. Three rookies. A couple of a bit players. LeBron is clearly the major hurdle in getting No. 23 retired

And does Lebron remember, like a month ago, when we actually DID honor Michael Jordan? Yeah, that didn’t go over so well… And while his idea isn’t that bad—he’s not the first to suggest that the NBA retire number 23 altogether—it does strike me as obnoxious that he’d assume his deference should prompt the rest of the league to change their jerseys, too. Then again, it’s Lebron James: should we really be surprised?

Michael Jordan was in the crowd tonight to watch LeBron battle Dwayne Wade. Afterwards, LeBron talked about how “humbling” it was for MJ to be there. He then added that, in tribute to His Airness, James, who wears No. 23, will change his number next year out of respect:

I’ve been thinking about it lately and what I’ma do…I think I’m gonna change my number next year. I think no guy in the NBA should ever wear 23…[Jordan] can’t get the NBA logo, much respect to Jerry West, so I think his number shouldn’t be worn by any player in the NBA so I’m thinking about just changing my number next year just to show the tribute of what he did for the game…he laid down the stepping stones for everybody to come up through the ranks."

Every notable NBA player who played before 1985 just went “WTF?!?!”

When asked what number he would wear next year, LeBron said “Probably 6, my Olympic number.” And when asked what jersey he’ll be wearing, LeBron just smiled and said, “We’ll see.”

Miami, FL (Sports Network) – LeBron James finished with 34 points, including 16 from the free throw line, to help the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 111-104 victory over Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat.

Wade finished with a game-high 36 points, but it was James and the Cavaliers who came away with the win, their third in a row. James, who had seven assists, scored Cleveland’s final eight points.

The Cavaliers also got a great shooting night from Mo Williams, who made 10- of-15 overall, including 5-of-7 from three-point range, to end with 25 points. J.J. Hickson contributed a career-high 18 points for Cleveland.

Michael Beasley added 24 points and six rebounds for the Heat, whose three- game win streak came to an end. Jermaine O’Neal finished with 15 points and nine boards in the setback.

Just short of the midway point in the final quarter, two James free throws made it a 101-91 contest, but the Heat scored eight of the game’s next 10 points to trim their deficit.

Wade fueled the run with six points, including a basket with just over three minutes to play to get Miami within 103-99. The Cavs missed three shots and had another blocked by Wade during the stretch.

However, James followed Wade’s basket by drilling a three with 2:41 to play, extending the lead back to seven. James made 5-of-6 free throws the rest of the way, as Miami missed most of its shots, sealing the Cleveland victory.

James’ jumper ended the back-and-forth first quarter to give Cleveland a 35-33 edge, and the teams continued to trade points in the second. Late in the half, Wade made 1-of-2 free throws before Williams drained a three-pointer with under half a minute to go. Dorell Wright answered with a basket to bring the Heat to within 62-57 at the break.

Cleveland gained a slight edge in the third, when Williams’ three made it an 80-72 game midway through the frame. The Cavs couldn’t pull away but continued to lead, and Gibson’s three capped the quarter to put Cleveland ahead 92-84 going to the fourth.

Hickson began the final quarter with a basket, and a little more than a minute later he sank 1-of-2 from the line, extending the Cavs’ advantage to double digits.

Delonte West was inactive for the Cavaliers, who got 14 points from Shaquille O’Neal…James finished 8-of-20 from the field and made 16-of-18 from the free throw line…Wade was 9-of-21 shooting and made 15-of-21 foul shots…Each team had 11 turnovers…The loss was the second of the season for Miami, which is 2-1 on its current five-game homestand. The Heat host New Jersey on Saturday…Cleveland has won six of seven overall and ended its road trip a perfect 3-0. The Cavs host Utah on Saturday.

Via Sports Network