James considering switching his jersey number to honor Jordan

Published 7:29 am Monday, November 16, 2009

LeBron James may persuade NBA players to give up their No. 23s, but a league-wide retirement of Michael Jordan’s number seems unlikely.

James said Thursday he is considering switching his number next season and wants other players to do the same in honor of Jordan, the Hall of Famer who is often regarded at the league’s best player ever.

NBA spokesman Tim Frank said on Saturday that “retiring a player’s number is a decision that has been made by the teams” and not the league.

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The league has no policy preventing every player wearing No. 23 from petitioning for a change, though players generally have to wear a number five years before they can switch.

Major League Baseball retired Jackie Robinson’s No. 42 and the NHL did the same with Wayne Gretzky’s No. 99.