Nike Shuts Down LeBron James, Anthony Davis Jersey Swap

Swapping jerseys is a time-honored tradition when a new player joins a team, whether it’s in the NFL or the NBA. Unfortunately for Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers, his attempt to don a new number was recently shut down by Nike.

The newest member of the Lakers opened up about his new jersey number during a recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. As he explained, LeBron James actually offered his storied number 23 jersey as a “welcome to LA” gift, but Nike shut the swap down.

“He did,” Davis told Kimmel. “Actually, we went to dinner, the first time we had dinner since the trade happened. He was like, ‘Man, look. Here’s 23.’ And then a lot of stuff happened with the rules and everything, so I couldn’t get 23.”

With continued prodding from Kimmel, Davis expanded upon the point, explaining that Nike had just launched a massive campaign centered around James and the number 23 jersey, so having the two players switch numbers would cause some financial damage.

“We don’t care who you guys are, it’s too much money!” Nike said, according to Davis.

With 23 no longer on the table, Davis was forced to pick another jersey number. He ultimately landed on three, which was actually the first number he ever wore. Although the process of picking his number was slightly more in-depth.

“I went on ‘2K’, the video game,” Davis continued. “And I couldn’t choose a number. They were like, ‘you can’t pick 23, so you have to pick another number.’ So, I’m literally in my living room, on the video game, going to myself, editing the player, and I’m going through all the numbers.”

When he saw the number three, Davis felt like it was a perfect pairing considering that he first wore the number in elementary school. He was taking it back to where his career truly started.

Davis was traded to the Lakers by the New Orleans Pelicans back in June in exchange for guards Josh Hart and Lonzo Ball, forward Brandon Ingram, and three first-round picks. The six-time All-Star had requested the trade in January, and the Lakers made his wish come true.

The Lakers have struggled to put together wins in recent seasons. If the team has hopes of returning to the playoffs for the first time since the 2012-2013 season, they will need Davis and James to form an unstoppable pair. Fortunately for Nike, there won’t be any concerns about changing jersey numbers as part of this process.