The NBA will take away LeBron James' jersey number

The number 6 jersey is undoubtedly very special for LeBron James because it is argued that with that number he had the best period of his career. When LeBron James came to the Los Angeles Lakers he opted for the number 23 which he had already used in his previous team the Cleveland Cavaliers. But last season King LeBron decided to return to the number he once wore with the Miami Heat; the number 6.

The number 6 is not just any number in the NBA.  The eleven-time NBA champion Bill Russell wore the number 6 during his playing days. And in honor of one of the greatest players in NBA history (his only flaw was playing for the Celtics), the league and the players' association decided to retire the number 6 from all teams, becoming the first in history to do so.

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It is a classic sign of honor to retire the number of the superstars and legends that have passed through each team. The Lakers currently have the numbers of Wilt Chamberlain (13), Elgin Baylor (22), Gail Goodrich (25), Magic Johnson (32), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33), Shaquille O'Neal (34), James Worthy (42), Jerry West (44), Jamaal Wilkes (52) and Kobe Bryant (8 and 24) retired. But it is the first time in history that all teams will have to retire a number of a player who never has played for them, but we must recognize that the mighty Big Russell deserves it.

If LeBron retires with the Los Angeles Lakers, he will not need to change his number, but he will be the last player in the history of the Los Angeles Lakers to wear it (number 6). The same applies to all players in the league who currently wear the number 6.

Despite having more championships than LeBron, Bill Russell is a few steps below.

Bill Russell is undoubtedly one of the best players in NBA history. 11 championships and 5 MVPs are the proof of that. However, with all due respect to the great Bill Russell, there are at least 3 players that have played for the Lakers that have been better than Russell. Despite not having those numbers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, and LeBron James have been better than Bill Russell was. Beyond the stats, what the aforementioned Lakers players have done for the game is just something else and they have done it in a much more competitive era in the NBA.