Category: Basketball

LeBron James finally made up his mind. One of the best players in history will sign with the Philadelphia 76ers after taking a substantial amount of time exploring his options. The free agent do-it-all forward also considered the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat, going by his announcement, but decided Philly was his best chance at competing for a championship.

James is not the best player in the world anymore, but the NBA was awaiting his decision to finalize free agency, which shows he’s culturally relevant. Despite his decline, he’s also still good enough to change the landscape of the league. With that in mind, let’s explore what his signing means for the Spurs.

LeBron wanted nothing to do with the still scarier Western Conference

There are probably multiple reasons why James picked Philadelphia. Unlike Cleveland and Miami, the Sixers had a glaring hole at power forward that James can plug immediately without having to worry about fit concerns, as he would have playing next to Giannis Antetokounmpo or Evan Mobley. As we learned from the infamous Rich Paul whiteboard podcast, he loves Tyrese Maxey. Even if Joel Embiid misses time, which is a given at this point, the addition of Jaylen Brown gives them enough firepower to survive the regular season and likely be a high seed.

There’s a lot to like about the on-court fit and the team’s chances to compete. Especially in the East.

Had he landed with the Cavaliers or Heat, it would have been unfair to suggest James’ decision had anything to do with the power imbalance of the conferences. After all, he has a history with both franchises. Nothing tied him to Philadelphia, however. Rich Paul also had the Timberwolves and Nuggets on his whiteboard, as well as the Warriors, but they were quickly dismissed as long shots as LeBron focused on the three finalists, despite all three Western teams also having top-tier talent and two of them having a more recent record of ultimate success than their Eastern counterparts.

Now, the Knicks won the championship by coming out of the East and only took a small step backwards. The Pistons could be as dangerous as they were last season if they bring back Jalen Duren, and the two teams LeBron spurned will also be tough outs. The Pacers could be back in contention now that Tyrese Haliburton is healthy, and the Celtics and Kawhi-led Raptors are dangerous. The conference is deep and talented. It also doesn’t have the Thunder and Spurs, arguably the top two teams heading into next season.

James going East to a team he had no previous ties to seems to confirm what any rational observer suspected: The West is still the tougher conference, and the Thunder and Spurs are the scariest opponents. If other stars feel that way going forward, we might see others also move East, where the path to the Finals feels more realistic.

LeBron signing for the minimum could start a trend that could help cash-strapped contenders

Because James waited so long, there were not a lot of realistic landing spots that could offer him a high-dollar amount. He expressed that he was fine with signing for the minimum with a contender, even though he’s still clearly good enough to command a higher salary under normal circumstances. He went through with it, signing a two-year minimum deal with a player option, giving the 76ers a major injection of talent for cheap.

In the era of the repeater tax and the second apron, getting quality players on below-market-value deals is a necessity to field a contender with depth. The best way to do so is to rely on players on rookie deals. The Thunder and the Spurs are doing exactly that. Still, it’s hard to know which young players are going to be ready to contribute in the playoffs. If veterans who can still play take a page out of LeBron’s book and are willing to sign for the minimum or close to it to contend, there would be another source of cheap, productive talent to fill out the rotations of the championship-level teams that struggle with the limiting rules of team-building the collective bargaining agreement has established.

Now, it’s important to note that LeBron is a special case. Very few players will reach age 41 while still being as productive as he still is, and none have made as much money over their career as James has. It’s not like LeBron was giving the Lakers discounts when he was 37. But the biggest star of the last 30 years, and founder of an agency known for always going for the max payout, removing the stigma of being a minimum player on a team that can give him minutes and the chance to contend, could lead others to make similar decisions. If LeBron’s decision results in success, maybe guys like Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler follow suit next offseason.

Would either of those guys, or others, as they age out, pick the Spurs? Who knows. It might feel like extreme ring chasing to join true contenders, but guys with a slightly lower pedigree could make the choice, helping bring depth to teams that are almost forced by the rules to sacrifice top-end salary for it.

After LeBron James announced that he was joining the Philadelphia 76ers, it’s clear that, once again, the NBA’s all-time scoring leader never had any serious interest in joining the Golden State Warriors.

Warriors haven’t felt legitimately in the mix for weeks and ultimately weren’t. They move on to the remainder of their offseason, which is still expected to include a Draymond Green reunion and three other roster spots to fill with limited budget. https://t.co/TCdRxx8aD0

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) July 24, 2026

James agreed to a two-year, $8M contract, with a player option in his second year. That is a dirt-cheap deal for a 41-year-old who was still good enough last season to lift a Los Angeles Lakers team missing both Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves to a first-round victory. He’ll join former MVP Joel Embiid, All-Star Tyrese Maxey, the No. 3 overall pick in 2025, VJ Edgecombe, and newly-acquired Jaylen Brown. Perhaps most important, he will not play with Paul George.

Did the Warriors ever have a chance to land James? The answer is, almost certainly not. Their pitch was essentially, come play with Steph Curry, with whome James won a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics. Beyond that…golf? A short flight to Los Angeles? Getting to meet Apple’s Tim Cook?

The 76ers had a very active offseason, trading for Brown and adding forward Dean Wade, now likely a backup, and Anfernee Simons, a 38% career three-point shooter who averaged more than 20 points from 2022-24. The Warriors re-signed a number of injury-prone veterans from last year’s 37-win team and drafted Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 11. When Draymond Green opted out of his $27.7M player option for next season, the team used their added financial flexibility to do…pretty much nothing, beyond giving Al Horford and De’Anthony Melton small raises.

ESPN’s Anthony Slater summarized the underwhelming Warriors pitch:

The Warriors have a more limited roster and a tougher path to contention than other competitors…If James is still prioritizing a chase for a fifth ring, it was far more reasonable for him to look East rather than join an older core that enters the season hobbled and won only 37 games last season…Plus, they didn’t make an offseason trade to make it more appealing. LeBron decided elsewhere, and the Warriors have been under the belief it was trending that way for weeks.

Another reason to believe that James was never going to join the Warriors is that it’s not the first time he’s declined to do so. In February 2024, the Warriors called the Lakers about trading for James, only to have James’ agent, Rich Paul, tell them James wasn’t interested in being traded. In the summer of 2024, James declined his 2024-25 and became a free agent, only to resign with the Warriors. In the summer of 2025, he picked up his player option rather than become a free agent.

One cannot help but think of an important life lesson from Ron Livingston and the iconic women of “Sex And The City”: He’s just not that into you.

Joe Lacob needs to listen to Miranda here, when she learns the guy she’s seeing just isn’t that into her.

“This is the most liberating thing I’ve ever heard! Think of how much time and therapy [ed: and roster-building opportunities] I could have saved if I had known this!”

The Warriors have known for weeks that it was unlikely that James would choose their team. Still, they sat by the phone, crossing their fingers and blowing off phone calls from DeMar DeRozan and leaving NBA general managers on read. It’s possible that Mike Dunleavy, Junior’s offseason activity was primarily devoted to repeatedly writing “LBJ + MDJ” in his Lisa Frank notebook with a unicorn on the front and drawing hearts around it.

So now the Warriors’ attention will shift to bringing back Draymond Green, thus running it back with last year’s disappointing team. Hopefully, the team won’t be so bad that Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody decide to rehab all season rather than chase a play-in seed.

It’s just hard to believe that this was the Warriors’ master plan the whole time and that there were no opportunities better than waiting on LeBron James for four weeks. He just wasn’t that into the Warriors, and the team never made moves to make themselves more appealing.

So much for touring Malvern Prep.

One of the many side plots of LeBron James’ most recent free agency decision was whether his son, Bronny, would leave the Lakers in some way to join his father at his next stop. Hours after LeBron chose the Philadelphia 76ers, some reporting has come in on Bronny.

ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne has reported that “there’s no current plan or request” for Bronny James to join his dad on the Sixers. Shelburne also said that they are not a package deal.

As for the impact of LeBron James’ decision on his son Bronny James, Rich Paul, the agent for both tells ESPN that "they are not a package deal" and there's no current plan or request for Bronny Janes to join his father in Philly. 

Bronny James recently had his contract…

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 24, 2026

It would have taken some sort of trade to get Bronny James out of LA. As Shelburne also pointed out, Bronny recently had his contract guaranteed by the Lakers, and is seemingly liked by the organization. He averaged just under nine minutes a game in the 42 games he appeared in for LA last season. He did get real minutes in Games 3 and 4 of their first-round series this past year against the Houston Rockets.

While Bronny might be a better NBA player than someone like Johni Broome, it was always going to be hard for him to break into the Sixers’ backcourt rotation that has become even more crowded. The best case scenario for him would have been the fifth guard behind Anfernee Simons and Labaron Philon Jr.

Things can change before the start of the regular season, but it doesn’t look like Philadelphia will be getting the full father-and-son experience. Instead of LeBron and LeBron Jr., they’ll just have to settle for LeBron and Labaron.

NBA games in July are not just for incoming rookies to get their first taste of professional basketball, but also a chance for teams to give their G-League standouts a national spotlight. The Lakers’ Summer League roster was littered with players from their developmental team, the newly named Coachella Valley Lakers.

​Out of those coming from that side, Mañon was the only one to play NBA minutes out of the group and get league-wide recognition with the G League.

​The Vanderbilt product was named First Team All-Defense and runner-up for the Defensive Player of the Year in the G League. The stock collection was as advertised in the summer games, giving way to possibly being a useful player on the parent team that’s currently void of defensive perimeter talent.

​Mañon averaged 11.6 points, six rebounds, 2.1 steals, and a block per game in 46 G-League games. He led the team in steals by a mile, and the rebounds were the most for any non-center on the roster.

​He picked up right where he left off this summer. At 6’4” with a 6’9” wingspan, Mañon can leverage size with quick hands and tenacious attacks on ball handlers in the vicinity. No matter the time or score, it’s nonstop aggression.

Watch below on the opening tip, where he hounds the recent fifth overall pick guard, Keaton Wagler.

As he crowds the incoming rookie, a poke at the ball frees it. Like a shark in water, he smells blood. Another swipe and it’s a foot race to the ball.

​Off-ball, he mixes the length with impeccable timing and instincts. He blew up switches and coverages by jumping the ball handler and took away transition opportunities or lobs with quick jumps to time the hit ahead passes.

Mañon can lull offensive players to sleep before a cat-like pounce. Watch below as he sits in a semi-ball denial, reads that the two offensive players aren’t on the same page, and picks the dribble handoff for a bucket on the other end.

His seven steals in Vegas were second on the team behind fellow defensive standout Adou Thiero, who had ten.

An area where he’s unique defensively as a guard is the block rate. He has a good feel for when to leave his man and time a rejection before the offensive player notices he’s come over.

Watch below as he makes his way from the top of the key and springs up with two hands. He engulfs the offensive player and cleanly takes the basketball while still keeping it in play, netting one of his three blocks in the contest.

A prerequisite with any defensive-first role player, Mañon has a fantastic motor. It shows itself in transition defense, rarely giving up on a play. It led to a few highlight blocks, like the impressive one shown below on a dunk attempt.

The questions on a pathway to minutes remain on the offensive end. Summer League provided few answers in that regard. In eight Summer League games spanning the California Classic and Vegas, Mañon attempted just 13 3-pointers.

​Some of it was a lack of playmaking on the roster, while others were turning down open shots to drive. He hit a respectable 38% on them, but the volume will need a real increase to be a viable rotation player for the purple and gold.

Mañon even flashed some on-ball skills and feel as a cutter, converting 58% of his two-point and even showing off a pull-up mid-range jump shot. The team’s reliance on his playmaking tied him for second in total assists in Vegas.

​While the offense clearly needs refinement, having a potentially elite defender at the end of the bench creates opportunities for minutes on a team that is overly indexed for shot creation and scoring.

​Mañon was asked at Summer League what players he compares his game to.

“A lot of different guys,” Manon said. “Alex Caruso, Jrue Holiday. All these different guys that are pests on the ball and off the ball.”

​The Lakers re-signed Manon to a two-way contract over the summer. The team and Mañon hope those comparisons hold up and he’s able to earn a standard contract by the end of the season.

You can follow Raj on X at @RajChipalu.

Editor's note: Get live updates on LeBron James joining the Philadelphia 76ers here.

It took 24 days, but LeBron James has made up his mind.

After informing the Lakers in late June that he would be moving on from the franchise, James announced Friday, July 24 that he will sign with the Philadelphia 76ers to form a super team in the East, as James looks to win his fifth career NBA championship.

This comes after weeks of speculation about where James would land. James was deliberate in his process and weighed his options, deciding between the Sixers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Although James will turn 42 in December, this is nonetheless a massive, power-shifting move with significant ramifications across the league.

Here are the winners and losers of LeBron James’ decision to sign with the 76ers.

WINNERS

Mike Gansey, Bob Myers and the revamped 76ers front office

Consider this: not even two months ago, the 76ers fired former basketball czar Daryl Morey after the Knicks unceremoniously swept Philadelphia in the conference semifinals. Since then, Bob Myers, the president of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment and former general manager of the Warriors, hired Mike Gansey as the president of basketball operations.

All Gansey has done is flip the cumbersome contract of Paul George for Jaylen Brown, a 29 year old five-time All-Star, and lure James to Philadelphia. Gansey has extensive ties to James and the Cavaliers. Suddenly, with the 76ers he has shaped one of the more imposing starting fives in all of basketball.

Tyrese Maxey

Also a Klutch Sports Group client, the same agency that reps James, 76ers star Tyrese Maxey has had a tremendous offseason. Not only did he get a massive relief valve on offense in the form of Jaylen Brown, but now with James, Philly has another playmaking ball-handler, and another player with championship experience. Maxey was among the players involved in pitching the 76ers to James, and the 25-year-old two-time All-Star is now poised to break out even further.

At times over the last two seasons, he has had to carry a massive offensive burden, especially since the 76ers have dealt with numerous injuries. Now, there’s a lot less pressure on Maxey to carry the Sixers to contention.

LeBron James

He took his time, deliberately weighed his options and came to a decision on his own terms. And while many people — NBA commissioner Adam Silver, included — may have chafed at the 24-day timeline, James ultimately decided this was best for his family and for his career.

James also joins a team where he doesn’t need to be the focal point and can be a complementary player. Given his age and declining availability, that’s essential. The loaded 76ers roster also means James won’t need to overexert himself during the grind of the regular season, maintaining his freshness for the postseason.

Nick Nurse

There will be a lot of mouths to feed, so it’s incumbent on coach Nick Nurse to scheme a system that highlights everyone’s strengths, but James’ passing and creation should assimilate nicely.

This, to be sure, is a good problem to have. But if expectations aren’t met, the letdown would be massive; the Sixers, like the Knicks before them, are looking to snap a multi-decade championship drought. Philadelphia’s is currently at 43 years. Now it’s on Nurse to end that.

LOSERS

Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors

It has been a rough go for the Warriors, who were looking to add elite playmaking to capitalize on the shrinking window the franchise has with Stephen Curry. Arguably no player in the NBA bore more responsibility for his team being in contention than Curry, who is now 38.

Golden State lost out on the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes and now on James, who has been a longtime friend and admirer of Curry and veteran Warriors forward Draymond Green. James certainly would have made this roster even older, but Golden State has desperately lacked another playmaking creator to pair alongside Curry, who is one of the hardest-working players in the league. Curry constantly moves off the ball to try to create space but is also tasked with creating off the dribble. Golden State’s hopes now rest on Curry sustaining that pace and Jimmy Butler, 36, eventually returning to form after his torn anterior cruciate ligament from January 20.

The Miami Heat still need another playmaker

It’s not so bad of a letdown when you already nabbed the premier move of the offseason. And Giannis Antetokounmpo will make Miami far better than it has been. But pairing James with Antetokounmpo would’ve given the Heat the two best fastbreak players of the modern generation — if not all time.

Heat point guard Davion Mitchell recently worked out with Antetokounmpo in Greece, and Mitchell did post a pristine 4.19 assist-to-turnover ratio, but Miami could still use another ball handler and creator. And now with the market essentially dried up, options are limited.

New Heat teammates Giannis and Davion Mitchell working on their game together in Greece! 💪

(via: giannis_an34 & davionmitchell) pic.twitter.com/zEpqdEMyvi

— NBA (@NBA) July 21, 2026

Boston Celtics

They weren’t even in the James sweepstakes, but this decision nonetheless reinforces Boston’s downturn this offseason. James signing with the Sixers, at least at a significant basketball level, happened because the 76ers have infused young talent onto their roster. And no name was bigger than Jaylen Brown, whom Philadelphia acquired July 1 in a deal with Boston.

The Sixers, even without James, were already looking like a legitimate competitor in the East. Now with him, the 76ers have become among the short favorites to win the conference, just behind the defending champion Knicks. It’s not a stretch to say that James doesn’t sign in Philadelphia if Brown isn’t traded there.

Making matters worse, the Celtics are fresh off of blowing a 3-1 series lead in the first round of the playoffs. The team that beat Boston was these very 76ers. And, as it stands now, the Sixers got far better and the Celtics went backward.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 7 biggest winners and losers from LeBron James joining the 76ers

Gilbert Arenas is flabbergasted by LeBron James’ move to the 76ers.

The former NBA star posted a video on X after the reveal that NBA’s all-time points leader would be joining the Sixers, questioning the move.

“This doesn’t look right, I’m sorry,” Arenas said. … “I know (wife) Savannah (James) didn’t approve this. Nobody approves of going to Philly.”

Whether or not Savannah agreed with the move, James ultimately decided to head back East and possibly finish his career in the City of Brotherly Love.

He posted on X after the deal was reported that he made the decision for himself.

“This is my last decision. I’m not going for money. I’m not going for a family,” he 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.”

LeBron also mentioned that he was seriously considering retirement after the 2025-26 season, but spent the last few weeks realizing how much he still loves the game of basketball.

Arenas continued his video with a joke about the “little a– statues” that they give players in Philadelphia.

Gilbert Arenas reaction to LeBron James going to the Sixers:

“This shit don’t look right, I’m sorry who is this, I know Savannah didn’t approve this.. nah man congrats but I’m booing” pic.twitter.com/zkiCBC835N

— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod (@big_business_) July 24, 2026

Referring to the “Legends Walk” outside the Sixers practice facility in New Jersey, he said Lebron must not know about it.

The walk features legendary players such as Julius Erving, Wilt Chamberlain, Charles Barkley and Maurice Cheeks, but are unanimously on the smaller side.

Allen Iverson received the most recent statue in 2024, which Arenas poked fun at in the video.

“Congratulations, but I’m booing,” Arenas concluded.

Part of Arenas’ reaction could be his confidence in a different outcome.

At Fanatics Fest on Sunday, the former Wizard and Warriors player said he had talked to Giannis Antetokounmpo and he was confident LeBron was joining the Heat.

Arenas and James’ relationship is limited to the times they scrimmaged together for Team USA.

The two did face off multiple times during their careers, most notably in the 2006 playoff series between the Cavaliers and Wizards.

Cleveland won the series 4-2 thanks to 32 points from James in Game 6.

Takeoff: Charles Barkley reacts to LeBron signing, dissects Boston rivalry originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Charles Barkley reacts to the massive news of LeBron James joining the Philadelphia 76ers. Barkley breaks down how LeBron will fit alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, the implications for the Eastern Conference, and why the new Sixers-Celtics rivalry is going to be epic.

Watch the full episode below:

00:00 – Charles Barkley
00:26 – Charles Barkley’s Initial Reaction to LeBron in Philly
01:57 – Tough Eastern Conference
03:18 – Celtics Rivalry
04:12 – What This Means for Philadelphia Sports
06:29 – Celtics Mistake Trading Jaylen Brown?
07:18 – Are the Sixers the Team to Beat in the East?
08:50 – Barkley’s Hilarious Complaint About Missing Golf

John Calipari built his career landing five-star recruits. Tyrese Maxey just helped the 76ers land LeBron James, taking a page from his former coach.

Maxey was in the middle of a workout when news broke that James had agreed to a two-year, $8 million deal with the 76ers. He quickly turned on the camera, screamed in celebration and gave himself a new title.

“I’m like Coach Cal,” Maxey wrote on the video.

Honestly, the comparison works. Calipari became famous for convincing elite players to join his programs.

Maxey does not have a recruiting staff or a collection of national championship banners, but he reportedly played a major role in convincing the 41-year-old James to choose Philadelphia.

The two are represented by Klutch Sports, and Maxey remained in contact with James throughout his long free-agency process. His efforts helped the Sixers beat out Cleveland, Miami, Golden State and Minnesota for the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.

No wonder Maxey was screaming.

Philadelphia can now roll out a starting lineup featuring Maxey, V.J. Edgecombe, Jaylen Brown, James and Joel Embiid. That group brings scoring, passing, athleticism and plenty of playoff experience, putting the Sixers firmly in the NBA title conversation.

James and Maxey could be especially dangerous in transition.

According to The Athletic, they ranked first and second in fast-break points last season. Maxey scored 382, while James finished with 343.

Of everything Calipari taught Maxey during his lone season at Kentucky, recruiting may have been the most unexpected lesson.

Years later, Maxey used it to help Philadelphia land one of the biggest names in basketball history.

LeBron James had a lot to weigh. 

After deciding to return for his unprecedented 24th NBA season, he needed to choose where he would play.

He mulled over his options for 24 days.

Or 576 hours.

Or 34,560 minutes.

Various factors tugged at his heartstrings for what would be the swan song for one of the greatest athletes of all time. 

There was the family factor. His wife, Savannah, 11-year-old daughter, Zhuri, and son, Bronny, are in Los Angeles.

There was the happiness factor. Golf had become his new passion.

There was the legacy factor. Returning to Cleveland, where he was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in 2003, would be the perfect storybook ending. 

Ultimately, James didn’t prioritize any of those things. 

The player who devoted his life to greatness, showing up to arenas five hours before games and three hours before practices and missing countless family celebrations, decided to chase what has motivated him for two decades. 

Winning a championship. 

James stunned the basketball world Friday morning by agreeing to sign a two-year, $8 million deal with the 76ers. 

He doesn’t have history in Philadelphia, as he does with Cleveland and Miami, where he won three of his four championships. He doesn’t have deep ties to the players on the roster, as he does with Draymond Green and Steph Curry in Golden State. 

But he believes the 76ers give him something that has been his life force since he entered the NBA as an 18-year-old with the most pressure on his shoulders of any prospect ever. 

A chance to be on the mountaintop again. 

So, James will pursue his fifth ring with a new team in a sports-obsessed city. This is a gamble. This is championship or bust. He’s putting it all on the line. 

James could’ve released the pressure valve by picking Cleveland or Miami, where he has nothing left to prove. 

He could’ve prioritized fun by choosing Golden State, where an old-men-versus-the-league narrative would’ve captivated fans regardless of wins or losses. 

Instead, James turned up the pressure to the highest level for his final act. 

He entered the league under those conditions. There’s something poetic about him exiting under them, too. 

“This is my last decision,” James wrote on X on Friday. “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.”

James is joining a roster headlined by Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey. The 76ers needed a power forward. They got the best free agent on the market in James, a 41-year-old who’s arguably still a top-10 player even though he’s the oldest guy in the league.

The basketball fit is beautiful. James is one of the best playmakers we’ve ever seen. He’ll free up Maxey and Brown to score. If Embiid stays healthy, this team could challenge the reigning champion Knicks.

James won a gold medal alongside Embiid at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. He questioned why Brown wasn’t getting more consideration for the MVP Award last season, even though Brown was caught on camera at a 2024 Las Vegas Summer League game saying, “I don’t think Bronny is a pro.” He has publicly touted Maxey, who’s also represented by Klutch Sports Group.

Now they’re joining forces to deliver a championship to Philadelphia, which hasn’t won a title since 1983 when the franchise was led by Julius Erving and Moses Malone.

You can’t help but think James’ decision was influenced by the Knicks’ title run. He watched Jalen Brunson lead a famished fan base to their first championship in 53 years. He saw the joy. The passion. The emotions. 

He wanted to recreate that for himself. 

Ultimately, he decided it’s all for naught if winning isn’t the end goal. So, he’s going somewhere cold where he can’t play golf year-round. Somewhere far from his family. Somewhere he has no history. 

James genuinely contemplated retirement after an eight-season stint with the Lakers.  

But the guy who has been the NBA’s sun for two decades still deeply felt the gravitational pull that has been his oxygen for over 20 years. 

So he decided to return for a final act. 

He won a championship in Miami in his second season with the team. When he returned to Cleveland, it took him two seasons to lead the franchise to its only title. And after going to the Lakers, he led them to a title in his second season.

He’s giving himself the same timeline in Philadelphia. 

After rumors swirled for three weeks about his priorities, in retrospect it makes sense that only one mattered. 

And he’s putting everything on the line to achieve it. 

He wants to hear the crowd roar. He wants to see a deluge of confetti fall from the rafters. He wants to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy once again. 

The greatest is going for greatness. 

---

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The Knicks’ reign in the Eastern Conference may be over, Stephen A. Smith says.

On ESPN’s “First Take,” Smith reacted to LeBron James signing with Philadelphia , warning that the 76ers are now “right in with New York as the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference.”

Smith credited Sixers president of sports Bob Myers for crafting a team that can compete with anyone, including the defending champion Knicks that swept Philadelphia in the second round of the playoffs this season.

“Now you have Jaylen Brown, who’s big time, with Tyrese Maxey, who’s big time, with VJ Edgecombe, who signed as a rookie and has tremendous potential…” Smith said. “If Joel Embiid is 50%, I mean, if he can give you anything during the playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers could win the championship.”

Myers has plenty of experience building championship teams, spending 2012-23 as the Warriors’ general managerand winning four NBA championships.

Smith explained that while he’s impressed with executives’ ability to get Lebron, he is equally surprised.

The sports personality didn’t think James would join a team in the East other than Cleveland.

Smith isn’t the only one surprised, though. The prediction market Kalshi had the Sixers at just an eight percent chance of claiming the 41-year-old entering Friday.

James also took a larger paycut than many were expected to fit the Philadelphia roster.

The Akron, Ohio, native signed a two-year, $8 million contract with a player option marking a nearly $50 million pay cut per year from his $52 million salary with the Lakers.

James was always expected to take a paycut, with widely reported suitors such as Cleveland, Miami, Golden State limited to veteran-minimum or exception-level offers, yet the figure is still surprising.

Even with the slim salary, ESPN cap expert Bobby Marks says the Sixers are around $572,000 above the first apron after the signing.

Myers and co. will have to cut someone or make a trade before the season in order to create the cap room James needs.

For now, though, Philadelphia fans can be satisfied looking at a starting lineup of Maxey, Edgecombe, Embiid, Brown and James and dream of beating the Knicks in 2027.

Editor's note: Get live updates on LeBron James joining the Philadelphia 76ers here.

Now that LeBron James has announced stunned the NBA with his decision to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers and close his eight-year chapter with the Los Angeles Lakers, a new wave of speculation has erupted: Will Bronny James join his father in Philadelphia?

The Lakers have made it clear that they have no intention of trading Bronny James. Meanwhile, the 76ers’ roster features a deep backcourt, leaving little immediate need or space to acquire another guard.

Also, Rich Paul, the agent for both players, told ESPN that "they are not a package deal" and there's no plan to request that Bronny join LeBron in Philadelphia.

The network also said Bronny recently picked up his player option with the Lakers.

Bronny appeared in 27 regular-season games for the Lakers during the 2024-25 season and 42 regular-season games and eight playoff games last year, often splitting his time with the South Bay Lakers, the franchise’s G League affiliate.

Bronny averaged 2.9 points, 0.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game last season with the Lakers.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Bronny follow LeBron James to Philadelphia 76ers? What we know

At the ripe age of 41, LeBron James still managed to hold the basketball world hostage and shock it, announcing he’s signing with the Philadelphia 76ers after weeks of deliberation. 

He joins forces with the newly-acquired Jaylen Brown, and familiar postseason foes of the Knicks, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. 

With this move, some oddsmakers have Philly neck-and-neck or even ahead of New York to take the East in 2026-27. Are the 76ers now a true threat to the reigning champions?

You look over their roster on paper and it reads like a 12-year-old’s NBA 2K franchise jumped the shark. Four All-Star level guys who peak a tier higher when healthy, flanked by a rising prospect in V.J. Edgecombe and some solid depth pieces in Anfernee Simons and Dean Wade, is nothing to scoff at.

Their deep bench has some lottery tickets as well, with Dominick Barlow, rookie Labaron Philon Jr., and former Knick Ariel Hukporti. Barring a bad string of injuries, they should be able to piece together a reliable eight-to-nine man group for the postseason. Brown and James bring real championship mettle. Their top four are high-IQ players who can all create for themselves and others, and if they’re able to sacrifice their individual scoring they won’t be an easy group to guard.

If Maxey and Brown are the primary creators, they have roll and pop opportunities for days with James and Embiid. James can also be the screen man in any combination and facilitate himself in an offense that can pressure the paint and theoretically spread the floor five-out.

There’s enough production here to have different options carry them through the regular season, then come the postseason they can be deadly if everybody is bought in. Embiid and James will have to revert back to their defense from a few years ago come that time, but if they can Philly has no ceiling. 

On the flip side, they still have plenty of questions. 

It will take a lot of sacrifice and experimentation to get the offensive cohesion right, especially among four guys who have stakes in being lead initiators. 

Not only will the hierarchy be blurry to start, but Brown, James, and Embiid will have to put up career shooting years to punish defenses for packing the paint. All three like to operate out of the mid-post, but their biggest test will come on the other end.

Embiid hasn’t been an elite defensive anchor in years, James has backtracked on that end, and the guards plus Brown don’t make up much ground there. The Sixers can skate by during the regular season but would need to stack all-out performances together in the playoffs to advance far. 

The biggest time bomb on the roster is their health, especially Embiid’s and James'. The former hasn’t played 40 ore more games in three seasons, with two young backups, while the latter is fighting his own battles now playing professionally for over 20 consecutive years.

Meanwhile, the Knicks are coming off one of the most dominant postseason runs in recent NBA history, which included sweeping a slightly dissimilar Sixers team. Sure, they’ve made additions, but four more wins of them?

There will likely need to be some trial-and-error before we get to truly judge this team’s chances. As we’ve seen from the 2013 Lakers, the James Harden-Kawhi Leonard-Paul George Clippers, the 2021 Nets, and 2024 Suns, a super-team lacking cohesion or injury luck is as susceptible to complete failure than to legitimate contention. 

The Knicks have proven themselves to be championship caliber and shouldn’t be written off to underdog status until proven otherwise. But Philadelphia is coming for the throne, and won’t be as easy to beat this time.

Breaking down how James should help Sixers most, key on-court questions  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers’ projected starting forwards are now both former NBA Finals MVPs. 

Jaylen Brown earned the award in 2024. LeBron James has four on his résumé. With James making the enormous decision to join the Sixers, here’s an initial look at how he should upgrade the team and key on-court questions:

Where James should help most 

The Sixers’ full-strength starters will surely be Tyrese Maxey, VJ, Edgecombe, Brown, James and Joel Embiid. That’s a powerful unit on paper. And it doesn’t hurt that, at least to open games, it appears obvious which position everyone should play.

James’ passing remains a special skill at 41 years old. According to Cleaning the Glass, his 1.16 assist-to-usage ratio last season was first among NBA forwards. The Sixers will welcome James’ abilities to feed shooters and cutters, manipulate defenses and create easy points for whoever happens to be open. None of the Sixers’ other stars could be described as a fantastic passer. In prior years, opponents have recognized that blitzing Maxey and double teaming Embiid on post-ups is often worthwhile. James is extraordinarily equipped to punish such schemes. 

Health permitting — always a notable caveat with the Sixers — the team seems capable of much-improved offensive efficiency. On top of the passing excellence, James is nothing close to a non-scorer these days. He tallied 20.9 points per game last season, kept drawing a good number of free throws (5.3 per contest), and sported a strong 59.4 true shooting percentage. With Brown also on board, the Sixers look destined to be among the NBA’s elites at drawing free throws, scoring in isolation, and scoring in general. Another season of middling play on both sides of the ball would be surprising. 

“We’ve got to find an identity,” Bob Myers, president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, said on June 8. “We just don’t have one. That may be a harsh thing to say, but look at the numbers. We were not elite offensively or defensively. If you’re going to win at the highest level, you’ve got to be great at something.”

As was the case with the Brown deal, star insurance matters in Philadelphia. Embiid has an optimistic outlook on his health, but the 32-year-old big man’s played under 40 games in three consecutive seasons. Maxey averaged at least 37.5 minutes in all of those years. As Sixers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey noted on draft night, the Sixers wouldn’t mind lightening Maxey’s load a tad. James shouldn’t be relied upon to log massive minutes, but it’s fair enough to broadly consider another star a positive. In the event that Embiid, Maxey or Brown are sidelined, James should be quite comfortable assuming a larger role. 

The impact won’t be tangible, but James’ basketball wisdom will be a big deal for the Sixers’ youngsters. VJ Edgecombe had no hesitation about asking anyone in the building questions from the start of his rookie season. James should have many useful answers. 

“He had a hell of a rookie season, man,” Maxey said of Edgecombe at his May exit interview. “Not just a rookie season, a hell of a season. A lot of guys would wish they had a season like him. So the sky is the limit. The future’s bright. … You don’t have to push his buttons much. He works too hard and he wants it too much.” 

While James is no longer the sort of defender who should be asked to expend energy guarding stars, he’ll enhance the Sixers’ overall versatility. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse’s options should expand with James’ unique blend of size and skill. Perhaps James can serve as a pure point guard on occasion when Maxey sits. In Embiid-less stints, it might be a decent idea to play the 6-foot-9, 250-pound James at center here and there. 

Valid questions about Sixers with James

James will turn 42 years old on Dec. 30. He’s the ultimate outlier, but you never know when his basketball aging process might become a bit more normal. We’ll see whether he can keep avoiding the typical trajectory of fading athleticism and nagging injuries.

The Sixers’ bench is not full of proven players. Dean Wade and Anfernee Simons are the only second-unit Sixers who have truly established themselves as full-time NBA rotation players for multiple years. Everyone else is 24 years old or younger. 

James had a subpar outside shooting season last year, going 31.7 percent from three-point range on 4.1 attempts per game. Brown made 34.7 percent of his threes. Both players will fire open looks and can get hot. Still, the Sixers may very well stay below average in the long-distance department. They ranked 23rd last year in three-point frequency and 23rd in three-point percentage.

What’s the Sixers’ path to defensive success? As usual, we imagine they’ll plan to mainly play drop pick-and-roll coverage with Embiid and be more of a scrambling, turnover-forcing team when he’s out. Maxey’s enjoyed the freedom to hunt for steals under Nurse and nabbed a career-best 1.9 per game last year (fifth in the league). Edgecombe loves to defend and has stellar athletic tools. James should boost the Sixers’ team size, defensive reboundingand intelligence. Wade’s shown he can handle high-level scorers. All of that said, the Sixers are not a team stuffed with stoppers and they’ll have to tinker throughout the season. 

Along with the game-to-game details, Nurse will need to help his team figure out an optimal pace and rhythm. (For what it’s worth, he’s a musically inclined coach and we imagine he’ll embrace that challenge.) Embiid is at his best in half-court offense and regularly trails the play in transition. Meanwhile, Maxey was second, James third and Brown fourth in the NBA last season in transition points per game. Edgecombe is also a dangerous, explosive player in the open floor.

The Sixers possess immense transition talent and no shortage of players who can nail tough shots in the half court. Everything won’t mesh perfectly overnight, though. 

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The NBA championship odds picture changed dramatically after it was reported Friday that LeBron James will sign a two-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Key Takeaways

• The 76ers went from +2,000 to +900 to win the NBA title at DraftKings.
  
  
• Polymarket users believed there was a 7% chance that James would sign with the 76ers.
  
  
• DraftKings has a couple of player-specific betting options.

The four-time champion, 41, will represent the fourth franchise of his NBA career when the 2026-27 season tips off in October.

James was not expected to sign with the 76ers, according to prediction market prices. Thursday’s market data from Polymarket showed the Miami Heat led all suitors with a 44% chance of winning James’ free-agency race for a second time. The Cleveland Cavaliers, James’ hometown club, were second with a 25% chance. 

The Golden State Warriors, previously the strong favorites, had a 16% chance. The 76ers followed those three teams with a 7% chance.

Kalshi users saw the race similarly. Their probabilities included Miami (46%), Cleveland (28%), Golden State (16%), and Philadelphia (9%). The two platforms registered $269.2 million in combined trading volume.

Both operators also showed a sharp increase in the 76ers’ chances of winning the upcoming NBA Finals. Their 14% chance is more than double the 6% chance they had Thursday and trails only the Oklahoma City Thunder (24%) and San Antonio Spurs (19%).

Kalshi’s prediction markets have the Sixers at 12%, behind the Thunder (21%) and Spurs (20%). Both platforms have Philly third and ahead of the defending champion New York Knicks, the 2023-24 champion Boston Celtics, and other top contenders.

Sportsbooks feel the effects

Prediction market sites aren’t alone in feeling the impact of the James signing.

DraftKings Sportsbook had the Sixers at +2,000 in NBA championship odds Friday morning before reports broke that James was headed to the City of Brotherly Love. That put them fifth, behind the Spurs, Thunder, Knicks, and Celtics. 

The announcement almost immediately shortened Philly’s title odds to +900, tied for third on the board. Current title odds for the top contenders are as follows:

• San Antonio Spurs (+270)
• Oklahoma City Thunder (+270)
• Philadelphia 76ers (+900)
• New York Knicks (+900)
• Boston Celtics (+1,300)
• Cleveland Cavaliers (+2,500)
• Toronto Raptors (+2,500)
• Minnesota Timberwolves (+2,500)
• Detroit Pistons (+2,500)
• Denver Nuggets (+2,500)
• Miami Heat (+3,000)
• Los Angeles Lakers (+3,500)

The Sixers also have the fourth-best odds (+800) of winning at least 60 games, trailing the Thunder (-165), Spurs (-120), and Knicks (+475).

Focusing on the Eastern Conference, only the Knicks (+330) have a better chance of reaching the Finals than the Sixers (+350). The Celtics (+550), Pistons (+850), and Raptors (+900) are in close contention.

DraftKings also has a couple of player-specific betting options involving James. He is -160 (61.5% implied chance) to average 18-plus points and +200 (33.3% chance) to average at least 20.

LeBron’s last ride?

The 76ers have one of the best starting fives in basketball. Joel Embiid is a former league MVP, Jaylen Brown won the Conference Finals and Finals MVP in 2024, Tyrese Maxey averaged 28.3 points last year, VJ Edgecombe produced an impressive rookie campaign and shone in the playoffs, and James is near unanimously recognized a top-two player in NBA history.

James posted a series of messages on X on Friday morning explaining his decision to return for a 24th season after believing he was ready to retire.

“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,” he wrote.

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 deicide if I still love

— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 24, 2026

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