LeBron James announced Friday that he will play for the Philadelphia 76ers next season, and the 41-year-old NBA star hopes to turn another franchise into a championship team.
James, the NBA’s all-time scoring leader and four-time NBA Most Valuable Player, won four titles in a 23-year career, most recently with the Los Angeles Lakers.
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But “King James” announced on June 30 that he would leave the Lakers as a free agent, which caused speculation about his next team.
“I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a competitive team and I’m excited to empower new fans and start this great journey one last time,” James wrote on X.
James led the Miami Heat to NBA crowns in 2013 and 2014, delivered a championship to his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and delivered a championship to the Lakers in 2020.
He is looking to become the first player to win a title with four different clubs by performing the same magic in what Rich Paul, James’ agent, told ESPN will be a two-year contract worth $8 million.
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The NBA legend has been considering several clubs but will join the 76ers, who traded forward Jaylen Brown from Boston and boast a roster that will include star forward Joel Embiid and guards Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.
“#throwtheballup” Brown wrote on X in response to the news while Maxey, who called Paul James a client to lure him to Philly, was screaming with joy on social media for his “recruiting” ability.
James averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals for the Lakers last season and said he was considering retirement at the end of the campaign.
“I thought I was done when the season ended. I wasn’t ready to announce it, and I knew I needed time to really decide, but I was sure I played my last game,” James wrote on X.
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“I spoke the truth in that last press conference when I said that I have to look at myself and decide if I still like this game.
James renewed his desire to play while thinking about his future.
“I still really love the game, and I have a lot to offer,” he said. “The last few weeks have been really special. I’ve never had a clue of what to do and I’ve taken real time to just think. I’ve had an amazing few months with all my loved ones trying to figure it all out.”
Paul played down the possible clubs James could join during more than three weeks of mystery over where he could sign.
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Would James return home to Cleveland, return to Miami, join friends Stephen Curry and Draymond Green in Golden State or find someone else to compete with?
“This is my final decision,” said James, who had taken the most watched free years of his career. “I don’t earn money, I don’t go to the family.
“What exactly am I playing for right now? I still want to sacrifice myself. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, win and have a chance to experience another competition.”
James sent his condolences to his other suitors, posting: “Thank you LA. I will always love Miami and Northeast Ohio will always be home!”
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This decision has become a pressure on the business side of the NBA, commissioner Adam Silver saying that he can’t commit to next season’s program until he knows where James ended up, television broadcasters hoping to fill their list with LeBron and his new teammates.
– No title since 1983 –
The Sixers have reached the playoffs in eight of the past nine years but have not advanced past the second round, where they were eliminated this past season by eventual champion New York.
The 76ers last reached the NBA Finals in 2001, losing to the Lakers, and last won a title in 1983 — when Julius Erving led the Lakers to the Finals.
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James and Embiid were teammates on the US team that took gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse, who celebrated his 59th birthday on Friday, guided the Toronto Raptors to the 2019 NBA title.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro declared it LeBron James Day in the state, saying, “Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love KingJames.”
NFL running back Saquon Barkley, who led the Philadelphia Eagles to the 2025 Super Bowl title, offered a tip for the golf course, posting on X: “Welcome to town! Let me know if you try to put it together.”
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