LeBron James: Every player to wear no. 6 in Los Angeles Lakers history

News broke on Wednesday that LeBron James would be changing his number with the Los Angeles Lakers from no. 23 to no. 6. This is something that James has talked about before but previously it was so Anthony Davis could don no. 23. Davis reportedly will remain no. 3.

LeBron wore no. 6 in Miami and with the U.S. Olympic team as well as donning the number in practice with the Lakers. He wore no. 23 with the Lakers prior to this and in both of his Cleveland Cavaliers stints.

While LeBron won’t get two numbers retired like Kobe Bryant, he easily can become the greatest no. 6 in Los Angeles Lakers history as there is not very much competition. Perhaps that is his long-term plan, to get no. 6 in the rafters even though he won a title with no. 23.

LeBron James’ competition for the best no. 6 in Los Angeles Lakers history:

Chucky Brown, 1992

The first player to wear the no. 6 in Los Angeles Lakers history was Chucky Brown in 1992. That is absurd to think about considering the Lakers are one of the oldest teams in the NBA and it took decades for anyone to don a specific single-digit number.

Brown only spent one season in LA and was far from impactful. He appeared in 36 games and averaged 3.8 points per game.

Eddie Jones, 1997-1999

Eddie Jones probably gets the cake for the best no. 6 in Los Angeles Lakers history to this point. Jones spent four and a half seasons with the Lakers but he did not wear the no. 6 until his second season when the team retired Gail Goodrich’s no. 25, which Jones was wearing at the time.

Jones made two all-star teams with the Lakers, both donning the no. 6, and was quite the scorer for his time period. In today’s age, he would have been extremely value as a three-point shooter.

Jelani McCoy, 2002

Jelani McCoy spent one season with the Lakers and was nothing to write home about. The center appeared in just 21 games, averaged five minutes per game and did not put up anything worth value in the box score.

Many fans reading this might not even know who McCoy is and I would not blame them.

Maurice Evans, 2007-2008

Maurice Evans technically logged two seasons with the Lakers but he only played seven games in his second season with the team, logging a grand total of 81 games played in the purple and gold.

The Lakers were one of three teams that Evans wore no. 6 on and he was a serviceable backend rotation player. He averaged 8.1 points in 22 minutes per game.

Adam Morrison, 2009-2010

Remember Adam Morrison? Wow. Morrison spent two seasons with the Lakers, appearing in a combined 39 games. He scored a grand total of 84 points in those 39 games, shooting a dismal five of 21 from beyond the arc.

Josh McRoberts, 2012

The only team that Josh McRoberts wore no. 6 for, the Lakers were not too friendly during his time there. McRoberts appeared in 50 games, averaged 14.4 minutes per game and could only muster 2.8 points per game, although he did snag 3.4 rebounds per game.

Earl Clark, 2013

Morrison and McRoberts make Earl Clark look like a superstar wearing the no. 6. While he still was not all that impactful, he did at least have a bigger role with the team and put up some numbers that we can look back on.

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Clark appeared in 59 games with the Lakers, started 36 of them, and averaged 7.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in 23.1 minutes per game. That being said, he was still out of the league only two years later.

Kent Bazemore, 2014

Kent Bazemore has actually carved out a niche for being a decent rotation player in the NBA but and that started with 25 games with the Lakers in which he averaged 13.6 points per game. It was not an entire season but he has failed to reach that number again in any of his seasons thereafter.

While the points per game were not bad, Bazemore was a poor player and it showed on the analytics. Bazemore actually posted a negative VORP during his time with the Lakers with a box plus/minus of -2.5.

Jordan Clarkson, 2015-2018:

Eddie Jones is perhaps the best no. 6 in Los Angeles Lakers history with Jordan Clarkson behind him as the second-best. Clarkson now has an NBA Sixth Man of the Year award under his belt but that does not influence his ranking among the best no. 6s in Lakers history.

Clarkson was included in the trade for Isaiah Thomas that essentially opened up the cap space to sign LeBron James. He has still played far more games with the Lakers than any other team and in his 273 games, he averaged 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.

Derrick Williams, 2018

Derrick Williams appeared in just two games for the Lakers, scoring a grand total of two points. He has not played another NBA game since his appearance in the purple and gold.

Lance Stephenson, 2019

Lance Stephenson has had a very interesting career and like many players on this list, his NBA career did not last much past his time wearing no. 6 with the Lakers. Stephenson’s NBA career actually ended after his one season with the Lakers.

Stephenson is best known for that playoff series against LeBron James when he was on the Indiana Pacers. He certainly is not known for his time in LA, when he averaged 7.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

As you can see, LeBron James does not have much competition for the best no. 6 in Los Angeles Lakers history and all he has to do to take that honor is simply suit up.