LeBron James is going back to Cleveland, and he'll be using the same jersey number he used during his first stint there.
James announced on Instagram that he would be wearing his No. 23 jersey again, 16 days after he decided to leave South Beach and go back home. James made the announcement on Sunday afternoon.
According to ESPN, Adidas confirmed that the league's official outfitter has started to set up the machines needed for the production of automated printers at its sports licensing facility in Indianapolis. That means Adidas will be making and shipping jerseys with James' familiar No. 23 on it.
As ESPN puts it: "Adidas would not say how many jerseys would have to be made but confirmed that Cavaliers jerseys were initially sold out in home, away and alternate replicas. Pre-orders had begun July 11, the day James announced his return to Cleveland, and the company had to account for how many blank Cavaliers jerseys were left over since most jerseys are made in China and take at least a month by boat to arrive in the United States."
But basketball fans will remember James saying that he switched to No. 6, his Olympic number, as a tribute to Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan. He said the jersey number should never be used in the league because of Jordan's legacy. Curiously there are a lot of players who still wear No.23, like Anthony Davis of the Pelicans and Jason Richardson of the Sixers.
Of course, this time, James has eaten his words again.
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