James wanted to give Davis the 23 jersey this season, but the Lakers missed the March 15 request deadlineNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
LeBron James’ plan to give new Lakers teammate Anthony Davis his No. 23 uniform number will be "postponed until next season," according to sources cited by Chris Haynes of YAHOO SPORTS. James had wanted to give Davis the No. 23 for the '19-20 NBA season, but sources said that the Lakers were informed the March 15 deadline had passed when they "inquired with the league about the jersey change." Sources also said that due to "production issues and the massive financial hit Nike would have absorbed from the No. 23 James inventory that’s already been produced, Nike could not accommodate the request for this season." So, "out of consideration for fans who already purchased James’ jersey and to avoid distractions for a team competing for a championship," James and Davis will "bypass seeking the number change for this season" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/12). In N.Y., Sarah Valenzuela noted the Lakers "would only have been given permission to make the change this summer if Nike, the league’s apparel manufacturer, approved it" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/13).
MONEY MATTERS: ESPN.com cited a source as saying the "unused inventory of No. 23 James jerseys already produced would have led to a financial hit 'well into the tens of millions of dollars'" for Nike. James' upcoming Nike LeBron 17 sneaker also has No. 23 in its design, which "could not be updated to No. 6 in time for the on-sale date this fall or for the start of the season." A source said that as of Friday, James had "yet to file an official request to change from No. 23 to No. 6" for the '20-21 season. Meanwhile, Davis on Friday night posted to Instagram that he "would be wearing his elementary school No. 3" (ESPN.com, 7/13).
