Should They Retire Michael Jordan’s #23?
Is this the future of the NBA?
During the Miami Heat vs. Cleveland Cavaliers game last week, LeBron James made headlines with his proposed tribute to Hall of Famer, Michael Jordan.
But will the league follow the game’s newest superstar? Or is it just wishful thinking? Read more after the jump.
Heat owner Pat Riley hung the former Chicago Bulls superstar’s #23 up in the rafters to indicate that, while the league won’t make Jordan the new NBA logo, his number should not be worn by anyone in the league… in respect to Jordan.
James, speaking after his win, said that he was considering changing his #23 to his Olympic number of #6. But he confirmed his thoughts to the Cleveland Plain Dealer by saying something should be done on a wider scale to honor Michael Jordan, “I just think what Michael Jordan has done for the game has to be recognized in some way – soon.
There would be no LeBron James, no Kobe Bryant, no Dwayne Wade, you name all the best players in the league right now and the last 10 years, there would be none of us without Michael Jordan.”
The blurb created a discussion league wide. And with LeBron’s sentiments, the time of debate is ripe. “It’s time,” James said. “He’s the best basketball player we’ve ever seen. Mike does it on the court and off the court. If you see 23, you think about Michael Jordan… I feel like no NBA player should wear 23. Nobody. If I’m not going to wear number 23, then nobody else should be able to wear it.”
What do you think? Does LeBron have the Jay-Z-esque skills to convince everyone in the NBA to follow his lead? Or would retiring Michael Jordan’s number be a disrespect to those Hall of Famers before him? Share your thoughts in the comments section!
thats what i keep trying to tell people! sure the game has changed and the defense has gotten alot better but without the playing style that Jordan pioneered the league would probably just be starting to change
Lebron, Kobe, Carmelo, and Dwayne ARE NOT MIKE
i say yes to retire his number
YES. The league should’ve been retired the number 23 back when Pat Riley did it in Miami. Now that Lebron said it, watch and see what the league does
Wtf? Retire 23 on all teams? Wasn’t it enough to retire it on the Bulls team? If they retire his number then Kobe, Wilt Chamberlain, and Larry Bird needs theirs retired too. They, I feel have made big moves in basketball too. What about Julius Erving? Come on now. Stop feeding this man’s ego. Its bigger than the sun already, if they do that then he’s gonna have an ego bigger then the galaxy.
hey im a big MJ fan, i saw his greatness with my own eyes, but no. They do not need to retire and should not. MJ is the best, but Karem got rings like Mike, Wilt, Bill Russel! The Bulls did, and Pat did it for the Heat to. Lebron get over yourself. Basketball is not that important.
#23 should have been retired a long time ago. And everyone might as well just wear new Jordans cuz no one buys Kobe or LeBron’s kicks at all.