No. 23 Unlikely to Be Retired League-Wide Despite LeBron James's Petition

Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star forward LeBron James unveiled a proposition on Thursday to have NBA players who are wearing the number 23 switch their jersey numbers in order to vacate it in honor of the man who made it famous, Michael Jordan, who is universally regarded as the greatest basketball player of all-time. James introduced the petition in an attempt to have Jordan's jersey number retired by the NBA, but a league representative has come forward to indicate that the league-wide retirement of number 23 is unlikely to occur.

Tim Frank, a spokesman for the National Basketball Association, revealed the NBA policy that states, "Retiring a player's number is a decision that has been made by teams and not the league." According to The Associated Press, the league's policy also states that players usually have to wear a number that they have selected for at least five years before they are allowed to make a jersey switch. James has said that he intends to switch from the number 23 to the number 6 starting next year.

James wore the number 6 on his jersey during the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China and he has also been spotted wearing the number at select team practices in recent years. James's petition has been met with varying opinions from NBA legends, some of whom have clarified their opinion that it would be a slap in the face of sorts to other NBA legends such as Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.

The number 23 is currently worn by 13 NBA players, including established performers such as Sacramento's Kevin Martin and Phoenix's Jason Richardson, as well as several promising rookies such as Utah's Wesley Matthews, Milwaukee's Jodie Meeks and New York's Toney Douglas.