Wearing No. 6, though, has become somewhat standard for James. Ever since his triumphant summer wearing the number for Team USA -- which James has said was the best experience of his career -- he wears the number during practices and workouts as a homage to that gold-medal effort and all the work that went into it.
"It's interesting to think about. I feel like 6 is my number, too," James said about the prospect of switching.
"If the NBA retired 23 because of Michael (Jordan) like baseball did with Jackie Robinson (42), I would definitely switch it. Maybe I would someday, we'll see."
Players can request number switches, but it must be done by the first week of March.
If James would switch, though, there's a good chance it would happen in 2010. The NBA is likely to alter its uniforms in two years to make their construction more consistent for every team, making them easier to make and reproduce for fans who order them. That is already the case with warmups and practice attire now.
It would also change the merchandise stock, which would make the league much more agreeable to approve the idea if James were to ask.
But there's another major reason James the businessman may think of a switch: marketing. When Bryant switched his uniform to 24, which was one of his high school numbers, his jersey was fifth in sales. The change spiked it to No. 1 within a year. Last year it was second, and this year it is back up to No. 1.
"Part of LeBron being LeBron is that he dared to take No. 23 coming right out of high school," said Darren Rovell, a sports marketing expert who reports on sports business for CNBC. "It symbolizes his daring to take on expectations, and he's made that his number now, too."
