#6? = $
De Ja True? #6 will be the new #1.
Word on the street is LeBron is leaving #23 behind. He’s taking #6 out of respect for MJ, because, there’s only one MJ. That strikes me as a little bit odd. By the standards of modern basketball, the same ones that easily forget about legends like Bill Russell, Pistol Pete and even Larry Bird (memories of guys in short, tight shorts aren’t exactly Fathead material), Michael Jordon dominates all recollection of that which is basketball.
I’ve got 2 theories on this jersey switcharoo.
The first – it’s always about the money. The jersey business is big bucks, especially for the beholder. There’s a cut involved, and for LeBron, that’s a pretty big piece of the pie. According to NBA.com and their 5th Ave. store in Manhattan, the King ranks #2 right behind the Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant. And, with the exception of LeBron’s Olympic jersey, which was #6, he’s always worn #23 – at St. Mary’s High School, at the McDonald’s High School All-Star Game, and as a Cleveland Cavalier. So what happens to the hundreds of thousands of #23 Cleveland jerseys? They hit the racks of TJ Maxx, Marshalls and the like. They go straight clearance on NBA.com. There’s a market for old jersey’s but not exactly a “hot” one. I think MIMS has the best take on the effects of fashion:
People say that I’m fly / They like the way I dress they like / My attire move crowds from side to side / They ask me how I do it and simply I reply…
This is why / This is why / This is why I’m hot / I’m hot cause I’m fly / You ain’t cause you’re not / This is why / This is why / This is why I’m hot
Who wants to be the “not”? Rocking the outdated athletic apparel doesn’t exactly say “I’m a baller”. It says, these are tough times and I shop discount racks. And if you’re a lady, it says your man is going to try to use coupons when he takes you to the Olive Garden. It’s not exactly the image urban culture requires for the in crowd. Yeah, maybe they’re cool for practice gear or the gym. They’re great for kids who don’t know any better. But what this switch actually does is raise the standard. Essentially, older beholders will have to ante up and buy the new one, not the replica, but the authentic, for a couple hundred bones. It will automatically push his jersey to #1 in sales, simply because, nobody has it. Fans can’t remain stagnant in their older jersey. Ching-Ching!
Now, the second point I want to make is the deduced logic of two headlines. The first, mentioned above, and the additional news that Michael Jordon will soon be approved to be the “principal owner” of the Charlotte Bobcats, succeeding Robert Johnson, founder of BET. Now, Jordan failed the Washington Wizards as a front office retard. I mean, Kwame Brown with the #1 pick?! In fact, he was a cancer to the NBA’s representatives of Capital of the Free World. Now MJ’s putting his money where his ego is and taking over a whole team. I’ll give him this. He’s a guy that learns from his mistakes and he’s a winner, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see him take a talented and young team, that’s currently one game out of playoff contention and make the team a contender – a team that might be one LeBron James away from a championship. What? Did I just say LeBron James? Yes, I did. Since the trade deadline has passed and many teams have restructured, the contenders for Lebron’s next contract…the Knicks, the Nets and maybe even the Clippers…don’t look so enticing. Is it really cool to be the King of a bunch of pathetic losers (Sorry to all you Knicks fans, but it’s true.) in NYC or [eventually] Brooklyn, or just one of two co-Kings of LA? The latter would be more like being a Prince. So what I’m wondering is whether this resignation of jersey #23 by LeBron (who has and still does idiolize MJ) is a noble act of surrendering ego to the predecessor as if to say “I’m just waiting for the call, Michael. By this gesture, surely two superstars can co-exist in Charlotte. You are the Alpha Dog, MJ. I’m just here to make us both much richer than we already are.”, but, you know, without violating any sort of tampering clauses. It wouldn’t surprise me.
And if the latter is correct, not only will fans everywhere stock up on a #6 Cavaliers jersey in the last year of the King’s contract in Cleveland, but they’ll be forced to pick up a #6 for the Bobcats as well. And just in case you didn’t know, the Bobcats don’t even have a best seller in top-20, and as a team is nowhere near the top.
Chad
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