Why LeBron James will be only player in NBA with special patch on his jersey

Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James’ jersey will look slightly different than the rest of the players in the NBA for the rest of the 2025-26 season.

Starting with the Lakers matchup with the Sacramento Kings on Monday night, James’ jersey will be adorned with a special patch acknowledging his record-breaking 23^rd season in the league. No other player in history has made it to a 23^rd season.

The patch will feature "a silhouette of [James'] pregame chalk toss and three colored stripes representing the franchises he has played for in Cleveland, Miami and L.A.," according to ESPN.

The patches will ultimately serve as collectors’ items, as they will be removed from James’ jersey after every game and sent to Topps to be included in special-edition trading cards, a

The league previously added patches earlier this season for rookie debuts and reigning award winners. 

James seems excited about the patches. The four-time champion requested some of the cards from Topps on social media. 

🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾🙌🏾👑 Need some of these for my own collection @Topps!!! So dope 🔥🔥🔥 https://t.co/DHzn08WZnm

It's fair to wonder why they started James' patch project midway through the season, as opposed to at the onset, but perhaps the idea was conceived recently. 

Some have speculated that the patch could be a hint at James' retiring after the current campaign, but that is just a theory, as James has made no definitive decisions regarding his future at this point in time. 

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