It appears LeBron James won't, in fact, be handing over his signature No. 23 to Anthony Davis this season.
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, Lakers fans will have to wait another season before Davis will wear the number overproduction issues with Nike.
Here's an excerpt from the article:
But 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, sources said.
Out of consideration for fans who already purchased James' jersey and to avoid distractions for a team competing for a championship, the Lakers star will bypass seeking the number change for this season.
Haynes reports that the Lakers were told by the league that he couldn't facilitate the change since the March 15 deadline to do so had passed. The NBA allegedly told the Lakers that they'd okay the change if they were able to work out a deal with Nike, who's the officially licensed jersey merchandiser for all 30 teams.
There's a chance that Davis could never actually wear the number he wore in New Orleans, as a player option allows him to elect free agency for the 2020-21 season.
LeBron would've switched over to No. 6 which we won two NBA Championships with the Miami Heat with.
(h/t Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes)
