The Miami Heat reportedly are still expected to retire LeBron James’ No. 6 jersey even though the NBA announced that it will retire No. 6 in honor of the late, great Bill Russell on Thursday.
According to the Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman, the Heat are expected to have two No. 6 jerseys in the rafters at FTX Arena.
“Having already retired the No. 3 of Dwyane Wade and the No. 1 of Chris Bosh, the Heat have not issued the No. 6 of fellow Big Three partner LeBron James since he left the team during the 2014 offseason, following four consecutive trips to the NBA Finals and two championships,” Winderman wrote.
“James’ Heat jersey retirement is anticipated upon his NBA retirement.”
James, who is currently playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, spent four years with the Heat earlier in his career, and he helped lead the team to four straight NBA Finals appearances. Miami won two titles with James leading the way, and there’s no doubt he is one of the best players in franchise history.
James’ time with Miami helped him begin an eight-year run where he made the NBA Finals in each season.
The 18-time All-Star also went to the NBA Finals in his second year with the Lakers, and the team won the title in the league’s Orlando, Fla. bubble in the 2019-20 season. Curiously enough, the Lakers beat the Heat in six games to win that title.
There’s no doubt that James, Wade and Bosh led one of the greatest eras in the history of the franchise, and it’s nice to see that they will all be honored together in Miami’s arena.
James is surely quite honored that he currently wears the same number Russell did throughout his entire career. Russell was a pioneer and is one of the greatest players in NBA history, having won 11 NBA titles in his Hall of Fame career.
