Lakers to retire LeBron James jersey after end of his career / News - Basketnews.com

LeBron James is slated to have his jersey retired at Crypto.com Arena. He would become the 13th Lakers player with his jersey retired.

Credit: AP Photo/Abbie Parr - Scanpix Credit AP Photo/Abbie Parr - Scanpix

LeBron James, having won an NBA championship and broken the all-time scoring record while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, is set to join the elite group of legends with his jersey retired by the club.

Lakers governor, Jeanie Buss, expressed absolute confidence in an interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda that James' jersey will hang proudly from the rafters at Crypto.com Arena once he retires.

"When he does so, then we will retire his jersey," she said. "Knowing that he will make it into the Basketball Hall of Fame, he will have his Lakers jersey retired, no doubt about it."

The Lakers have already retired jerseys for 12 distinguished players, with the most recent being Pau Gasol on March 7.

However, it remains uncertain whether James' No. 23 or No. 6 jersey will be honored. Initially wearing No. 23 for his first three seasons in Los Angeles, he later switched to No. 6 starting in the 2021-22 season.

Russell's No. 6 was permanently retired across the league to honor his profound impact both on and off the basketball court.

As for the possibility of retiring both of James' numbers, Buss mentioned that it's a discussion for another time.

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