LeBron James is signing with the Philadelphia 76ers on a two year, 8 million dollar deal with a player option, Klutch Sports Group CEO Rich Paul told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Friday.
By choosing the 76ers, James commits to a fourth NBA team as he continues his search for a fifth championship. He will hope to end a 43 year title drought in Philadelphia, much as he ended a 52 year wait for Cleveland when he won a championship with the Cavaliers in 2016. At 41, James is entering a record breaking 24th season, and this could be the last free agency decision of his career.
Announcing the move on social media, James explained that he had considered retiring at the end of last season before deciding he still had more to give. “I thought I was done when the season ended. I wasn’t ready to announce it, and I knew I needed some time to really decide, but I was pretty sure I played my last game. I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and decide if I still love this game. I still truly love this game, and I have more to give,” he wrote.
“The last few weeks have really been special. I’ve never been able to have no clue what to do and take real time to just think. I’ve had an incredible few months with all the people I love trying to figure it all out. This is my last decision. I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family. What am I really playing for at this point? I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship.
“I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time. Thank you LA. Miami I’ll forever love and Northeast Ohio will always be home!”
James joins the 76ers after eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, a run that peaked with the franchise’s 17th NBA championship in 2020. With a player option on his contract, James informed the Lakers before the start of free agency that he intended to leave for another team.
Philadelphia have overhauled the top of their roster since the start of the offseason, having traded Paul George and draft capital to the rival Boston Celtics in a blockbuster deal to acquire All-NBA forward Jaylen Brown. James now joins a core that also features All-NBA guard Tyrese Maxey, former MVP centre Joel Embiid and rising guard VJ Edgecombe.
The 76ers finished last season with a 45-37 record, beating the Celtics in seven games in the first round of the playoffs as the number seven seed before being swept in the second round by the eventual champion New York Knicks. The trade for Brown signalled Philadelphia’s intent to compete for a title next season, and the arrival of James underlines that ambition further. As ever, their prospects will depend heavily on Embiid’s health, but with Brown and James added to the mix, the 76ers are expected to challenge the reigning champion New York Knicks in the East.
James is no longer an MVP contender, but he remains one of basketball’s most impactful players at 41. He averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game last season while shooting 51.5 per cent from the floor in 60 games, and was named an All-Star for a 22nd consecutive season. For the first time in his career, he was not the clear first option on a Lakers team led by Luka Doncic in his prime, but stepped up when required.
With Doncic and Austin Reaves both injured at the start of the postseason, James led the Lakers to a first round playoff win over the Houston Rockets. He averaged 23.2 points, 7.3 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals across 10 playoff games, a run that ended with a second round sweep at the hands of the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
James already holds the NBA record for most seasons, games and minutes played, and sits just outside the top three all time in steals, assists and three pointers made, with a realistic chance of climbing further this season as he chases an elusive fifth championship.
