Fact Check: Did LeBron James shave his head for 2023-24 NBA season? Debunking rumors of 'King' going Michael Jordan mode at 39 years of age
An image of LeBron James in which he is seen clean-shaven with a bald head is going viral, and fans on social media cannot believe their eyes.
James is entering his 21st season and can still be considered one of the league's top players. At 38 years old, he averaged 28.9 points per game, unprecedented for a player his age. He led the LA Lakers to the Western Conference finals last season after defeating Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in the second round.
After his bald image went viral, it didn't take long for the Michael Jordan comparisons to flood on social media. Jordan was bald for much of his career, and fans believe James is trying to replicate the Bulls Legend at 39 years of age.
However, the image is fake and doctored. The post was by "Buttcrack Sports," which uses their false news reports to educate social media users not to believe everything they read on the internet. It is a popular parody account known for its satirical posts that fans love to eat up. The name "Buttcrack Sports" abbreviates to "BS," aka. "bullsh*t," which is common slang for false information.
Additionally, the LA Lakers' watermark is visible in the top right corner of the image, and the organization hasn't posted any such picture on any of its social media handles.
And lastly, although LeBron James could be wearing an old jersey, he is wearing the No. 6 in the image. He recently announced that he is returning to No. 23 for next season.
Moreover, this isn't the first time fans thought King James went bald. Over the years, many fans and players have joked about his receding hairline. There was also a report in 2014 that he underwent a hair transplant. Therefore, the idea of a bald LeBron James isn't new.
In 2017, James uploaded a video of himself in which he appeared to be bald, and fans couldn't contain themselves.
He also uploaded a selfie last year after getting a haircut. He captioned it with the bald old man emoji, jokingly showing his followers that he is now old and sporting the bald look.
LeBron James to return to jersey No. 23 for this season
LeBron James announced that he will change his uniform number from 6 back to 23 for the upcoming season in honor of the Celtics legend Bill Russell. He wore No. 23 during his time in Cleveland and the first three seasons in Los Angeles.
James chose to wear No. 6 for the Lakers during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, which he famously wore during his time in South Beach. He changed the number because he wore No. 6 in the movie "Space Jam: A New Legacy." As per The Athletic's Bill Oram, James also wore No. 6 in honor of Julius Erving, who wore the number for three Summer Olympics.
However, he is now returning to No. 23, the number he wore when he won the championship in 2020. Lakers president Jeanie Buss has said the organization will retire James' jersey number when he retires.
Fans and pundits have debated over which number will be hung in the rafters and most concluded that it will be No. 23 and not No. 6. James lifted the franchise's 17th Larry O'Brien trophy while donning No. 23, along with the franchise's 13th Finals MVP award. Hence, No. 23 is more memorable and will likely be the number that hangs alongside the other Lakers legends in Crypto.com Arena.