LeBron James featured in arguably the most anticipated debut in NBA and sports history on October 29, 2003, when the Cleveland Cavaliers went on the road and were handed a loss by the Sacramento Kings.
23 seasons later, and James has carved out one of the greatest careers that any professional athlete and basketball player has ever had.
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It is therefore only fitting that the four-time NBA champion will now be wearing a special edition patch to commemorate his 23 years in the league so far.
BREAKING: LeBron James will wear a special-edition 23rd season jersey patch beginning tonight in Sacramento; the city where he began his legendary career in 2003.
The patches will be removed from his jersey after each game, and some will be placed into ultra-rare trading cards. pic.twitter.com/zzOEJyiFUK
— Topps (@Topps) January 12, 2026
LeBron’s special edition jersey patch
Topps have announced that James will have a special edition patch for his 23rd season on the upper-right chest of his jersey and he will first wear them in Monday’s contest between the Lakers and Kings in Sacramento, the same city where the four-time league MVP made his famous debut in October 2003.
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James, who has posted averages of 21.9 points, 5.6 boards and 6.9 assists so far this campaign, is set to wear these patches for the remainder of the regular season, as per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Following each game, the patches will then be taken out of his jersey with some of them set to be included into ultra-rare trading cards.
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New story: LeBron James’ uniform will have a special 23 NBA Season patch affixed to it in Sacramento, a source told ESPN, the city where his NBA career began back in 2003 https://t.co/kcgsmll94x
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 12, 2026
The patches will also have three colored stripes to symbolize the Lakers, Cavaliers and Miami Heat, thus marking the three different teams James has been a member of in his career.
In addition, a silhouette of James’ iconic pregame chalk toss will also be displayed on each patch.
This year, a gold NBA Logoman has also been worn by major award winners from last season: MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley and Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle.
Jan 9, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Image
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