The Philadelphia 76ers can officially call LeBron James one of their players. On Sunday, the team officially waived Dalen Terry in order to add James on a two-year deal.
By Monday morning, the Sixers confirmed that LeBron James was going to wear No. 23 for the upcoming season with the team. On the Sixers' official social media account, they sent out several posts to announce the signing, with one of them being a jersey reveal.
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— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) July 27, 2026
Who wore No. 23 last?
Just last season, the Sixers had the young veteran Tyrese Martin wearing No. 23 for the year. He joined the 76ers in February with a two-way contract. Before landing on the Sixers, Martin played for the Brooklyn Nets and the Atlanta Hawks, along with playing for multiple NBA G League squads.
The Sixers did not bring back Martin for the upcoming season. The 27-year-old recently signed a deal with FC Barcelona. He is expected to play overseas for one season.
The history of No. 23 in Philly
Seeing as though the number is popular in basketball, it doesn't come as a surprise that many notable players wore No. 23 during their time with the Sixers. However, James will certainly be the most recognizable at this point.
The first player to don the number was Barney Cable in 1960. Throughout the 60s, seven different players wore it. Bill Bridges and Joe Bryant were the only two to wear No. 23 in the 70s.
In the 80s, six players wore No. 23. They did not have anyone wearing the number during the 1983 championship run. Just three players wore the number during the 90s. When the Sixers started rebranding in the early 2000s, three players wore the number during a single season.
Lou Williams was the first player to don No. 23 for more than three years. The former Sixth Man of the Year had the number for six seasons. In 2013, Jason Richardson wore it for a few years before Justin Anderson had it in 2017.
Ersan Ilyasova wore the number for his one season in 2018, before Jimmy Butler came into the picture and took it over in 2018-2019. After Butler left, Landry Shamet joined the organization as a first-round pick and took over the number temporarily before he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Since then, the number didn't stick with a player beyond one season, outside of Eric Gordon. Players such as Trey Burke, Terrance Ferguson, Charles Bassey, Louis King, Terquavion Smith, and Martin all wore No. 23 for one year. Now, LeBron James will continue building on his legacy with the 76ers, while sporting the number.
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