Why do NBA players wear No. 23 on jerseys? Significance explained

A quick look at the jerseys in the NBA over the years will tell us that one of the most sought-after numbers players use is the No. 23. There are a myriad of reasons why they go for it, but a common basis for it is seemingly because it was worn by their favorite player.

Michael Jordan and LeBron James have sported the No. 23 and are two generational players who revolutionized the game and took basketball to greater heights.

“His Airness” undoubtedly popularized the number for much of his run with the Chicago Bulls, where he built his legend, punctuated by six NBA titles and tons of individual accolades.

While other players wore the No. 23 before him, there's no one who came as synonymous with the number like Jordan did.

In an interview he did with Dennis Flippin on YouTube five years ago, Jordan shared that the reason why he ended up wearing No. 23 was because of his brother:

“My brother wore No. 45 which was my number. So when we was on the same team, we couldn’t wear the same number. So I chose half of what his jersey was, which was 22.5, which I would rather have 23.”

Check our the interview below, beginning at the 4:41 mark:

He did get the chance to wear 45 in the NBA, when he made his first comeback from retirement in 1995.

He said that the reason for it was because he did not want to play in the last number that his father, who died two years before, saw him wear. It was a new beginning for him, so Jordan wanted a fresh start. Michael Jordan, though, reverted to No. 23 after just 23 games.

When Jordan retired for the last time in 2003, LeBron James wore the No. 23 as he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He said that he did so because MJ was his basketball hero while growing up.

The four-time NBA player shared in one of his earlier interviews:

“When I started playing basketball, I was like: ‘Oh man, that two-three looks good.

"I wanna be able to fly like him, I wanna be able to shoot like him. I wanna be able to dunk on somebody like him. I wanna be able to stick out my tongue like him in the air and yell in somebody’s face like MJ.’”

Like his hero, ‘King James,’ in time, would inspire a new generation of players with his topnotch skills while sporting the No. 23. He did change his jersey to No. 6 when he moved to the Miami Heat in 2010 and helped them win two titles in four years.

However, LeBron James went back to No. 23 when he rejoined the Cavaliers, winning a title with them in 2016. He stuck with the number until he joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018. He wore the number until 2021 when he changed it to No. 6 midway into the season.

For the upcoming season, the now 21-year veteran is going back to 23 out of respect to the late Boston Celtics great Bill Russell, who wore the No. 6 in his Hall-of-Fame career.

Which NBA players wore the No. 23 in the 2022-23 season?

There were 11 players who wore the number 23 in the NBA in the 2022-23 season.

They are:

Jarrett Culver

Kai Jones

Draymond Green

Aaron Nesmith

Wesley Matthews

Mitchell Robinson

Tre Mann

Charles Bassey

Cameron Johnson

Zach Collins

Fred VanVleet