LeBron James is heading to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer announced the decision July 24 on social media, ending his eight-year run with the Los Angeles Lakers and committing to a two-year, $8 million contract — the veteran’s minimum — with a player option, according to USA Today Sports and confirmed by NBA.com. James made nearly $53 million last season. He’ll turn 42 in December.
“I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family,” James wrote. “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.”
Rich Paul, James’s longtime agent, placed the call to the Sixers late Friday morning, shortly before James’s posts went live, according to HoopsHype. There was no negotiation — James was going to be paid the veteran’s minimum regardless of destination. Paul simply delivered the answer.
The 76ers haven’t won a championship since 1983 and haven’t escaped the second round since 2001. They went 45-37 last season and were swept by the New York Knicks, who went on to win their first title in 53 years. Now Philadelphia rolls out a starting five featuring Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown — the 2024 Finals MVP acquired from Boston in a stunning offseason deal — and a 42-year-old who still averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists last year. Rookie of the Year finalist VJ Edgecombe rounds out the rotation.
Betting sites installed the Sixers at 9-1 to win it all, behind Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and New York.
Almost immediately, the familiar criticism surfaced: LeBron is ring-chasing. Jumping to a stacked roster for one last grab at jewelry. It’s the same noise that followed him to Miami in 2010, back to Cleveland in 2014, and out to Los Angeles in 2018.
Former Lakers teammate Derek Fisher, whose name is on five championship banners from his time alongside Kobe Bryant, pushed back. In a remark that circulated online Friday, Fisher said: “You are not ring chasing if you’re the guy creating the rings.” The quote could not be independently verified beyond social media posts attributing it to Fisher, but the logic lands regardless of who said it. Four titles, four Finals MVPs, 10 Finals appearances, the all-time scoring record — James has been the engine of every championship team he’s touched. You don’t chase something you’ve built.
Now, I’ve spent two decades and change coaching Friday nights in Texas, and I’ll tell you what I tell my linebackers: you respect the man who’s still in the huddle when his knees are shot and his hamstrings are held together with tape and prayer. James could’ve walked away. He said he was “done” after the Lakers’ season ended. He recalibrated, looked in the mirror, and decided he had more to give. That’s not chasing. That’s showing up for two-a-days in August when every joint is screaming.
The Sixers’ new president of basketball operations, Mike Gansey, has known James since their high-school days in Northeast Ohio. Gansey replaced Daryl Morey this offseason and swung the Brown trade before landing the biggest free agent on the board. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro proclaimed Friday “LeBron James Day” in the state. Fanatics had his No. 23 jersey listed at $125 before the ink was dry.
James called this his “last decision.” He’s said that kind of thing before. But the film doesn’t lie — and the film shows a man who can still play.