King James Changed Uniform # Back to 23 to Honor Legendary Bill Russell
You can quibble with LeBron James regarding some of his inane social-warrior stances and perhaps nepotism securing guaranteed contract from the Los Angeles Lakers for his less-than-impactful son. But you can't criticize him for honoring Bill Russell by changing his uniform number from #6 back to #23 to honor him. Russell, who passed away last year, was the ultimate championship basketball player, winning a total of 13 titles with the University of San Francisco (two NCAA) and Boston Celtics (11 NBA). Russell is among 10 All-Americans boasting at least six NCAA/NBA crowns with at least one college title. Five of Russell's Celtic teammates are among the following hoopers with the most NBA and NCAA championships:
| No. | All-American | NBA Titles | NCAA Titles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Bill Russell | 11 with Boston Celtics (1957-59-60-61-62-63-64-65-66-68-69) | two with San Francisco (1955 and 1956) |
| 9 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | six with Milwaukee Bucks (1971) and Los Angeles Lakers (1980-82-85-87-88) | three with UCLA (1967 through 1969) when his name was Lew Alcindor |
| 9 | John Havlicek | eight with Boston Celtics (1963-64-65-66-68-69-74-76) | one with Ohio State (1960) |
| 9 | K.C. Jones | eight with Boston Celtics (1959-60-61-62-63-64-65-66) | one with San Francisco (1955) |
| 8 | Frank Ramsey | seven with Boston Celtics (1957-59-60-61-62-63-64) | one with Kentucky (1951) |
| 7 | Bob Cousy | six with Boston Celtics (1957-59-60-61-62-63) | one with Holy Cross (1947) |
| 7 | Michael Jordan | six with Chicago Bulls (1991-92-93-96-97-98) | one with North Carolina (1982) |
| 6 | Magic Johnson | five with Los Angeles Lakers (1980-82-85-87-88) | one with Michigan State (1979) |
| 6 | Larry Siegfried | five with Boston Celtics (1964-65-66-68-69) | one with Ohio State (1960) |
| 6 | Keith Wilkes | four with Golden State Warriors (1975) and Los Angeles Lakers (1980-82-85) | two with UCLA (1972 and 1973) |
NOTE: USF's K.C. Jones was ineligible to compete in 1956 NCAA Tournament because he was playing his fifth season of college basketball.