Los Angeles Lakers superstar small forward LeBron James wears No. 6 in practice and No. 23 during games, and The King says he got the idea from NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.

When he was with the Miami Heat, LeBron James wore No. 6 because the Heat organization retired No. 23 out of respect to Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan.

No. 6 is James' Olympic number as well, so when he returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014 and went back to No. 23, LeBron started donning No. 6 in practice.

Via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:

Since James left the Miami Heat and switched back to No. 23, he has kept the No. 6 that adorned his jersey for two championships and two Olympic gold medals in his wardrobe by way of his practice uniform.

He picked up the idea from Deion Sanders' football career.

“When he went to the pros, he wore 2 in practice but wore 21 on the playing field,” James said of Sanders. “It's like that.”

So now, at the UCLA Health Training Center, you can often find No. 6 guarding No. 6 when James and Lance Stephenson scrimmage in Lakers practice sessions. James was tickled by the Los Angeles-based media that asked about his practice jersey during training camp, as if it were a new phenomenon.

“I've worn 6 in practice for a long time,” James said before making a sarcastic crack. “I'm starting to figure out a lot of you guys just not recognizing who I am, huh?”