LeBron James(notes) isn’t honoring the greatness of No. 23, but manipulating Michael Jordan’s marketing savvy. The changing of his jersey number as a nod to M.J.’s basketball career is a purely fictional cover story. It’s a tribute to Jordan all right, but more like a cynical ode to his business sense. James wants to grow his global brand and push product; flooding the market with a fresh jersey number does the job.

When LeBron James should be most concerned with takingKobe Bryant’s(notes) NBA title, he’s making a bid for his standing as the No. 1 seller of NBA jerseys. James watched Bryant make the switch from No. 8 to No. 24 and how it moved him to the top of the list. For the past two seasons, James has finished second to Bryant. No more, James decided. Kobe gave him the blueprint for selling out stock, and now LeBron’s embraced it.

Looking back, Bryant never tried to turn his jersey change into some magnanimous gesture. He switched numbers, and that was that. He wanted to sell jerseys, and he did. He never pretended it was a genuflection to anything but commerce.

Somehow, James has boxed himself with this ridiculous story about how no one should ever wear No. 23, and he’s the first to give it up and maybe everyone else should follow him. This was met with a roll of the eyes, with everyone asking: Wait, you’re giving up No. 23 to take … No. 6?

What about Bill Russell and his 11 NBA championships? Jordan, the greatest ever, cleared a path for the worldly basketball star. But Russell was a black star in turbulent Boston in the 1960s. He anchored the greatest dynasty in the sport’s history, and they’ll remember him as the most dominant defensive player to ever live. In the end, James and everyone else understand this has nothing to do with Jordan or Russell, with No. 23 or No. 6. This is business, and he’s insulting everyone’s intelligence suggesting it’s something else.

The idea that James is honoring Jordan is, well, pure mythology. In a lot of ways, LeBron’s working to distance himself from him. Truth be told, they are rivals far more than confidants. With different lines of shoes, they are competing for power within Nike. They’ll be competing in the Eastern Conference, where the Charlotte Bobcats have beaten the Cavaliers two of three times this season and could be an opening-round opponent. They’ll be competing in collective bargaining talks, owner versus player.