LeBron Planning on Switching Numbers

[Warrior8o8]

Re: LeBron Planning on Switching Numbers

Hmm interesting here is an article from February about him & the #6

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2009/02/even_while_wearing_no_23_lebro.html

[23]

Re: LeBron Planning on Switching Numbers

Retiring Jordan's number league wide would be a slap in the face to West, Magic, Bird, Erving, Kareem, Wilt, Russell, and the list goes on.

MJ is regarded as the greatest because of the time period. Ask people in the 70s and their answer is obviously different. Ask kids in 10 years and their answer will be different.

Doesnt mean the proof is there. You could make a case for Cap though, maybe even Magic and that one is spotty.

[EWRMETS]

Re: LeBron Planning on Switching Numbers

Retiring Jordan's number league wide would be a slap in the face to West, Magic, Bird, Erving, Kareem, Wilt, Russell, and the list goes on.

MJ is regarded as the greatest because of the time period. Ask people in the 70s and their answer is obviously different. Ask kids in 10 years and their answer will be different.

100% agree. MJ may be the best of all time but it's not like he's the clear #1. I don't like the idea of universally retiring a number.

I'm surprised so many people agree that Lebron is a drama queen. I thought he would get undeserved praise for doing this and I'm happy some people see it my way.

[Taur3asi3]

Re: LeBron Planning on Switching Numbers

http://www.hockey-reference.com/friv/numbers.cgi?number=99

Theres the list of NHLers who wore 99. It's 3 people, Gretzky (for his entire career), Rick Dudley (for 30 games), and Paiement for 3 years at the same time as Gretzky.

Compare that to 23 for basketball

http://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/numbers.cgi?number=23

190 players including some truly great ones.

With the NBA multiple greats have worn 23, 32, and 33. If you retire any of them league wide how do you do that with out denigrating every other legend who wore that number? How do you retire 32 league wide for Magic without saying Julius Erving, Jerry Lucas, Bill Walton, and Kevin McHale dont matter? Or Ewing and Scottie Pippen for 33? What about Calvin Murphy for 23?

Those guys are either HOFers or will be very soon. Do they not matter? Are they unimportant? Compared to Jordan certainly Calvin Murphy isnt as significant but he's in the Hall of Fame and therefore an important part of basketball history.

Completely different situations.

[DTX3]

Re: LeBron Planning on Switching Numbers

Really 'Bron? To honor Jordan? Or to rack up more jersey sales? Don't lie son. You want to change your number, that's fine but don't be starting a lame petition to try and get everyone in the league who rocks the 23 to change their number. Let the league do that if they want to. Anyways, should be perfect timing for him come next season.

Retiring Jordan's number league wide would be a slap in the face to West, Magic, Bird, Erving, Kareem, Wilt, Russell, and the list goes on.

Agree with this.

[yvesdereuter]

Re: LeBron Planning on Switching Numbers

Retiring Jordan's number league wide would be a slap in the face to West, Magic, Bird, Erving, Kareem, Wilt, Russell, and the list goes on.

MJ is regarded as the greatest because of the time period. Ask people in the 70s and their answer is obviously different. Ask kids in 10 years and their answer will be different.

Because he was better than those players, like it or not.

LOL @ all the sour grapes by the Cavs, Knicks, Lakers, Celtics, or Sixers fans.

[PVarck31]

Re: LeBron Planning on Switching Numbers

LOL does LeBron EVER stop being an attention whore?

He nicknames himself King James, blatantly jacks MJs 23, turns us all into "witnesses," takes MJs chalk pre game ritual and turns into a "hey look at me everybody!" thing, says he wants to be a global icon....

and NOW he decides he wants to give up the number out of respect for MJ? And says that if HE doesn't wear 23, NOBODY ELSE should be able to either?

LMFAO

Please tell me I'm not the only one who sees HIGH HIGH comedy in all of this

This!

LeBron is becoming a joke more and more every day. The freaking Yankees shoes the other night?? Grown up kid.

[michaeljordanjr]

Re: LeBron Planning on Switching Numbers

100% agree. MJ may be the best of all time but it's not like he's the clear #1. I don't like the idea of universally retiring a number.

I'm surprised so many people agree that Lebron is a drama queen. I thought he would get undeserved praise for doing this and I'm happy some people see it my way.

actually he is "like" the clear #1

espn 100 all time athletes rated him as the greatest athlete in human history.

are you sure you're versed in jordanology brother?


I think the greatest player in a sport should get his number retired from the sport and become the logo and icon of the sport

[ehh]

Re: LeBron Planning on Switching Numbers

actually he is "like" the clear #1

espn 100 all time athletes rated him as the greatest athlete in human history.

are you sure you're versed in jordanology brother?


I think the greatest player in a sport should get his number retired from the sport and become the logo and icon of the sport

Some of that stuff may be true but it's very funny reading it from a guy with your screen name.

[23]

Re: LeBron Planning on Switching Numbers

Some of that stuff may be true but it's very funny reading it from a guy with your screen name.

<---- NO objection here

[ProjectRipCity]

Re: LeBron Planning on Switching Numbers

Well Martell Webster is 23

Thanks to Lebron for signing the minimum and letting Martell keeping his number!!! :P

[CFav]

Re: LeBron Planning on Switching Numbers

They should retire 6 before they should retire 23.

Co-Sign!

After MJ's hall of fame speech, I lost any respect I had left for him..But my man Bill, he deserves all the respect in the world. Unlike MJ, he changed the game along w/ Wilt for the better IMHO.

[NINJAK2]

Re: LeBron Planning on Switching Numbers

So when MJ was playing for 2 and 3 million he had the arrogance and the entitlement that players have today?

You're kidding me man, as if what he had was handed to him. I dont care what you say about his personality but MJ had to work for his, nobody gave him jack. He came into the NBA on a bottom dweller team won 2 gold medals, an NCAA championship and worked his way up.

This is nothing like todays NBA where guys get 100 million before they even set foot on the floor. Ray Charles can see that

23, when he was making 2 to 3 mill on the court he was making 20-40+ million off of it so don't even try to play that card bro. Believe me if he wasn't doing those kinds of numbers off the court he would have been making a stink about his contract (and rightfully so). MJ was great so don't take my criticism of him to mean otherwise. Imo those people I mentioned in my previous post are just as deserving of universal retirement within their league as MJ. I mean you no disrespect.

CFav--Co sign bro

[CWSapp757]

Re: LeBron Planning on Switching Numbers

I could be wrong, but I think Lebron is doing this in order to seperate him self from MJ. I don't think he wants to share the number 23 with Jordan because ultimtely he wants to surpass Jordan in regards to legendary status. I definitely don't buy the whole "I'm doing this out of respect" reasoning. But that's just me.

[Taur3asi3]

Re: LeBron Planning on Switching Numbers

I dont buy that at all. Now instead of him sharing Jordan's number he's sharing it with Bill Russell (the game's greatest winner) and Julius Erving (the game's greatest ambassador and the man who carried an entire league on his back).