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PHOTO: LeBron resurrects his Heat jersey number for Cavs scrimmage

Bob Donnan / USA TODAY Sports

The last time LeBron James donned the number six on his jersey, Cleveland Cavaliers fans cringed as they watched their home-grown star take the floor as an opponent.

Upon his return to the Cavs last summer, the familiar No. 23 resurfaced in Cleveland's colors.

However, at the team's annual Wine & Gold Scrimmage on Monday, "The Chosen One" chose six - again.

In order to quell any confusion, James explained to ESPN's Dave McMenamin the reasoning behind his numerical swap, referencing a similar switcheroo facilitated by NFL legend Deion Sanders.

"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."

James has sported No. 23 - a number popularized by Michael Jordan - in each of his nine seasons with the Cavaliers, including 2015-16, while changing to No. 6 for his four seasons as a member of the Miami Heat.

James stuck with his single-digit selection for the past two Olympic Games. He wore No. 9 - Jordan's Olympic jersey number - for the 2004 Games in Athens.

Prior to the beginning of the 2014-15 campaign, James leaned on his fans to help him decide upon a jersey number as he prepared for his return to the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2003.

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