Why Bronny James can't wear his favored No. 6 jersey with Lakers?

On Thursday, the LA Lakers made history by selecting USC guard Bronny James No. 55 in the 2024 NBA draft. James joined his father, Lakers superstar forward LeBron James, whose former No. 6 jersey number he donned in college. However, Bronny will be forced to sport a different number with the Lakers.

On August 11, 2022, following Boston Celtics legend Bill Russell's death, the league announced it would retire his iconic No. 6 league-wide. The 11-time NBA champion became the first player to receive the honor.

Upon the announcement, NBA commissioner Adam Silver praised Russell's illustrious career and work as a civil rights advocate.

"Bill Russell’s unparalleled success on the court and pioneering civil rights activism deserve to be honored in a unique and historic way," Silver said. "Permanently retiring his No. 6 across every NBA team ensures that Bill’s transcendent career will always be recognized."

The change immediately prevented new players from choosing to wear No. 6. However, players already wearing the jersey number for their respective teams were grandfathered in and allowed to continue doing so. That included LeBron, who switched back to No. 6, his jersey number from his Miami Heat days, midway through his Lakers tenure.

However, in July last year, LeBron opted to switch back to No. 23 again. His agent, Rich Paul, noted that the decision was "out of respect for Bill Russell."

So, like his father, Bronny will have to transition to a new number as he gears up for his NBA career.

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Bronny James' high school jersey number is also unavailable on Lakers

In addition to Bronny James' No. 6 college jersey number being retired league-wide, his high school jersey number is also unavailable on the Lakers.

Bronny wore No. 0 during his well-documented tenure at Sierra Canyon School. In 2016, LeBron James noted that Bronny began wearing the number to honor one of his favorite players, former MVP Russell Westbrook.

However, LA's No. 17 pick from last year's draft, point guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, donned No. 0 during his rookie season. So, barring any unforeseen changes, it won't be available.

It's unclear which number Bronny will sport next season. Nevertheless, the 19-year-old's Lakers jersey is already widely available for presale as fans await the announcement of his number selection.

Bronny's LA jersey projects to be a top-seller as fan anticipation grows for him to potentially make history by playing alongside his father next season. He and LeBron are already the NBA's first active father-son duo. However, suiting up on the Lakers together would mark an even more momentous milestone.

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