It appears Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis will be switching numbers after all.
After reports surfaced that LeBron James planned to gift the No. 23 to his new teammate, Yahoo's Chris Haynes has reported that the number swap will be postponed for a season.
Yahoo Sources: LeBron James’ plan to gift Anthony Davis his No. 23 jersey will be postponed for a season. https://t.co/bHf2suANyn
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 12, 2019
Within the report, Haynes cites 'production issues' as the main reason for the postponement:
"Due to production issues and the massive financial hit Nike would have absorbed from the No. 23 James inventory that’s already been produced, Nike could not accommodate the request for this season, sources said. Out of consideration for fans who already purchased James’ jersey and to avoid distractions for a team competing for a championship, the Lakers star will bypass seeking the number change for this season."
Prior to the new development, LeBron even took to Instagram to (informally) announce the switch.
Davis, who has worn No. 23 dating back to high school, will don a new number for the first time in his seven-year NBA career. James had planned on switching to No. 6, which he donned for four years as a member of the Miami Heat as well as in practice with the Lakers.
As a historic franchise, the Lakers have retired 11 different numbers (8, 13, 22, 24, 25, 32, 33, 34, 42, 44, 52), which will also be off limits for Davis.
Fans could learn Davis's new number of choice when he is introduced by the Lakers this weekend.