Why LeBron James' Lakers jersey has a new 'super cool' patch
LeBron James wears a special patch on his jersey commemorating his unprecedented 23rd NBA season. (Justine Willard / Associated Press)Broderick TurnerTue, January 13, 2026 at 5:48 PM UTC·1 min read
LeBron James wore a patch on his jersey for the first time Tuesday commemorating his unprecedented 23rd NBA season in the city where he played his first NBA game. It features a silhouette of his pregame chalk toss and three colored stripes that represents the three franchises he has played on — the Lakers, Cavaliers and Heat.
James, who scored 22 points in the Lakers' 124-112 loss to the Sacramento Kings, will wear the patch for the remainder of the season. After each game, the patch will be removed from his jersey for that game, dated and shipped to a Topps’ production facility to be authenticated and inserted into a pack of trading cards.
“Super cool. Super surreal. Super humbled, blessed,” James said. “I walked in here and saw it for the first time. It was like an emotional moment as well. Just think about the journey thus far and have an opportunity to be here where it kind of all started obviously, but in this city.
Read more: Luka Doncic scores 42, but is hampered by injury in Lakers' loss to the Kings
"And it's been a heck of a journey and people have followed my career and my fans have followed my career to get an opportunity to be a part of it."
Lakers fans might not get the chance to see James and his patch up close on Tuesday night against the Atlanta Hawks. There's a good chance he will not play in the second game of a back-to-back.
“We’ll see how he feels in the morning,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said.
Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
