Former NBA player Gilbert Arenas talks about LeBron James move to the 76ers. @NoChillGilZero/X
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.
Lebron James, left, and Savannah James attend the Time100 Sports List at Pier Sixty Chelsea Piers. AP Photo/Evan Agostini
“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.
DENVER, COLORADO - JULY 18: Tomoyuki Sugano #11 of the Colorado Rockies pitches in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Coors Field on July 18, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Colorado Rockies (41-63) begin a three-game set against the Milwaukee Brewers (64-38) with some daytime baseball on a Friday afternoon. Brewers legends will take the field after the real game for a postgame alumni contest — an idea the Rockies should feel free to borrow.
This is the start of a quick road trip. After three games in Milwaukee, the Rockies will have Monday off before playing a rare two-game series against the Friars in San Diego. Another off-day follows Thursday.
Colorado was off yesterday and could have used the break. The Rockies are 3-7 over their past 10 games and are coming off a disastrous loss to the Washington Nationals on Wednesday.
On paper, this is not an especially compelling matchup. The Brewers carry baseball’s second-best record, while the Rockies own the worst mark in the National League.
Milwaukee is a deep team that pitches brilliantly and applies consistent offensive pressure. The Brewers rank first in starting-pitcher ERA, first in starter strikeouts per nine innings and second in starter WHIP. Their offense ranks fourth in on-base percentage and fifth in runs scored. They lead the NL Central by seven games and have scored 133 more runs than they have allowed.
The Rockies have a much-improved offense of their own, ranking fourth in batting average, fifth in OPS and eighth in runs scored. However, their rotation ranks 30th in ERA, WHIP and hits allowed per nine innings. The bullpen has not been much stronger, and the defense continues to struggle.
The intrigue comes from within the Rockies themselves.
Sugano has been more than serviceable during his time in Colorado and will look for his 10th victory this afternoon. The veteran right-hander enters at 9-4 with a 4.76 ERA.
That ERA is considerably better than his 7.00 xERA, which ranks in the first percentile. Sugano’s actual results have consistently outpaced his underlying metrics, just as they did with Baltimore in 2025.
His success is not built on premium velocity or exceptional movement. Nearly every pitch in Sugano’s seven-pitch mix moves less than the typical offering of its type.
Sugano has survived by distributing his pitches evenly and avoiding predictable patterns. He has also limited damage in the most perilous situations. Opponents have slugged .575 against him with the bases empty but only .388 with runners in scoring position.
That helps explain why his 4.76 ERA remains so far below his 7.00 xERA.
Taking the ball opposite Sugano will be 27-year-old rookie Shane Drohan. The left-hander has appeared in 20 games and will make his 11th start after working primarily out of the bullpen during March and April.
Drohan enters with a 5-3 record, a 3.20 ERA and 76 strikeouts across 76 innings. He generates plenty of chase, rarely gives away free bases and limits hard contact. His chase rate ranks in the 88th percentile, his walk rate in the 79th percentile and his average exit velocity allowed in the 65th percentile.
His four-seamer, sinker and slider form the foundation of the arsenal.
Both fastballs sit around 95 mph. His four-seamer stays up and carries roughly 3.5 inches more arm-side run than the typical left-handed four-seamer. The sinker arrives at nearly the same velocity and moves even farther arm-side.
The mid-80s slider gives him a tighter breaking pitch off those two fastballs and has been one of his more effective offerings. Drohan also mixes in a slower curveball and a cutter around 90 mph, while using his changeup sparingly.
The sinker presents the clearer opportunity for Colorado. Hitters have batted .332 and slugged .618 against it, while the four-seamer and slider have been much harder to square up.
Hunter Goodman continues to pace the Rockies on Fridays, with five home runs and a .985 OPS in 16 Friday games. Jake McCarthy follows with three homers and a .973 OPS.
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
LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on against the Oklahoma City Thunder Getty Images
“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.
Tyrese Maxey celebrated LeBron James’ 76ers signing with a wild workout reaction after helping recruit the NBA legend to Philadelphia. Tyrese Maxey/Instagram
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.
Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers and Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics NBAE via Getty Images
James and Maxey could be especially dangerous in transition.
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.
LeBron James decided the 76ers give him the best chance of winning another championship. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
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.
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.
The 76ers haven’t won an NBA championship since 1983, but James hopes to change that. Getty Images
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.
James’ decision likely was influenced by the Knicks’ title run during the 2025-26 season. 2026 Richard Rodriguez
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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There are often players who change teams and don’t put together the same results. Think of Ryan Helsley and Cedric Mullins for the Mets last season. It can happen and sometimes it’s easy to see.
Once again, the Phillies will be buyers at the trade deadline, looking to bolster their club for a trip into October and hopefully longer.
There are just some players that you’re better off not paying the price for.
AJ Minter- New York MetsLHP
AJ Minter makes a lot of sense for the Phillies on the surface, he carries a 1.71 ERA over 21 innings. The Phillies could use a left handed reliever with how Jose Alvarado, Tanner Banks, or Kyle Backhus has pitched for them. Minter has pitched in plenty of big games with the Atlanta Braves, and has a ring on his finger from the 2021 season.
But the 32-year-old left-hander is a regression risk. He has come back from his lat tear throwing over a tick slower and has had to change his pitch mix because of it. He’s leaned even more on his cutter, yet is still getting barreled often along with the lowest strikeout rate of his career.
He has pitched very well for the Mets because of a 2.4% walk rate and a very high strand rate. Could it work? It’s possible but it is hard to imagine either sustaining.
In four of Minter’s previous five seasons, he possessed a walk rate over 8%, with the exception being 2022, without question the best season of his career. There might be some walk regression coming, given that he cannot rely on throwing the fastball as much in the zone and the assumption that there is at least some command regression.
If he is already dealing with batted ball issues and strikeout issues, it is going to be hard to assume he can trade some walks. Minter just looks like a declining reliever that pitches worse moving forward.
Heliot Ramos- SF Giants Outfielder
Over the last three seasons, Heliot Ramos has a 115 OPS+ and has three additional seasons under club control at just 26 years old. It can be enticing but given his price, limitations, and potential regression, it might be best to avoid him.
Yes, the Phillies could really use a right handed bat this run and Ramos would be the de facto cleanup hitter. A lot of that says more about the current state of the Phillies than Ramos but there are other limitations.
As a hitter, Ramos’ numbers against right-handed pitching are bordering on a platoon risk already. He carries a .718 OPS against righties this season despite an outlier season against sliders and carries significant approach concerns. He has a chase rate of 37.2%, a high strikeout rate, and is allergic to walks. Sounds familiar?
While it is unfair to characterize him as a platoon player right now, the results are enough to justify him in the lineup, he is a slight slip away from being a short-side platoon corner outfielder and giving up premium prospect capital is just not worth it.
This is all forgetting that Ramos is limited as a player; he is not a good defensive left fielder on a team that already struggles to catch the ball. It would force Brandon Marsh to slide to right field, which is probably not what you want defensively, even if it could work fine.
There are also the longer-term team-building concerns that come with a trade like this. Trea Turner is no longer a shortstop, and may not even be an infielder anymore. Are they forcing him to stay in the infield with a move like this? Trading Brandon Marsh to make Turner work in the outfield? Maybe they could, it just feels like a lot for a player that might never have a three-win season.
Foster Griffin- Washington Nationals LHP
How we view starting pitchers with as much information as we do is tricky. I don’t think anyone views Foster Griffin as a top-of-the-rotation breakout after pitching three seasons in Japan. It would also be unfair to label Griffin as someone who actually stinks.
The cutter is a really good pitch for him, limiting hard contact and it gets enough whiffs. His sweeper and changeup are good pitches and the fastball isn’t getting crushed.
It is just that he is still at probably the highest ceiling he can get to, Griffin has pitched to a 2.68 ERA and made the All-Star Game for a Nationals organization that already looks like one of the sharpest in the sport. He has a very good strand rate, that could regress moving forward. He is also susceptible to pulled flyballs and home runs because he does not throw overwhelming stuff.
It is just hard to see him not regressing to the mean. Stuff has gone great for him over his first 20 starts of 2026, if he starts regressing to more like a high 3s, low 4s ERA pitcher, which is probably closer to who he is, that probably means really bad results moving forward.
Given the other rental starting pitcher options like Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, or even Robbie Ray, it just might be best to avoid Griffin.
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.
Stephan A. Smith talks about the 76ers LeBron James signing on “First Take.” @awfulannouncing/X
“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.
LeBron James made multiple high-profile appearances at Fanatics Fest NYC 2026. BACKGRID
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.
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.
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.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) drives to the basket against New York Knicks guards Jalen Brunson (11) and Landry Shamet (44) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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.
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The Yankees are kicking off a 10-game road trip with a weekend series against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Since the All-Star Break came to an end, the Yankees have dealt with inclement weather postponing games, leading to two doubleheaders in four days. In the most recent doubleheader on Wednesday, they fell to the Pirates in 10 innings in the first fame, but won the second 2-0.
The Phillies came back from the All-Star Break to two series against National League rivals, first the Mets and then the Dodgers. In both series, they dropped two games, winning just one in each.
Yankees vs. Phillies: what to know
When: July 24, 6:45 p.m. ET
Where: Citizens Bank Park (Flushing, New York)
Channel: Streaming exclusive
Streaming: Apple TV (try it free)
Tonight’s Friday Night Baseball is exclusively streaming on Apple TV, but fear not: It’s easy to subscribe and tune in — and completely free, if you’re a new user.
Yankees vs. Phillies start time today (July 24)
The Yankees vs. Phillies game today, July 24, is scheduled to begin at 6:45 p.m. ET.
How to watch Yankees vs. Phillies for free
Tonight’s Yankees vs. Phillies game is airing exclusively on Apple TV‘s Friday Night Baseball, so you’ll need a subscription to watch the game.
Apple TV offers a seven-day free trial for users, so you’ll be able to watch two weeks of doubleheaders before the $12.99/month payments kick in.
TRY APPLE TV FOR FREE
Amazon Prime members can also subscribe to Apple TV directly through Prime Video. It costs the same monthly price and also includes a seven-day free trial, but allows you to stream Apple’s content inside the Prime Video app.
Yankees vs. Phillies starting pitchers
Cam Schlittler (9-6, 2.20 ERA) will start for the Yankees; Jesús Luzardo (9-4, 3.43 ERA) will be on the mound for the Phillies.
Apple TV Friday Night Baseball 2026 schedule
Friday Night Baseball, Apple TV’s weekly doubleheaders, are returning for a fifth season. The schedule through the end of August has been released.
July 24
New York Yankees at Philadelphia Phillies, 6:30 p.m. ET
Toronto Blue Jays at Boston Red Sox, 7 p.m. ET
Friday, July 31
Texas Rangers at Houston Astros, 8 p.m. ET
San Francisco Giants at San Diego Padres, 9:30 p.m. ET
This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.
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.
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.
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.
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
He chose chasing that title over the comfort of playing on very good teams in cities he has been in before — Miami and Cleveland — or teaming up with Stephen Curry in a nostalgia play in the Bay Area. While Philadelphia was always mentioned in discussions and speculation around the league, they probably were fourth on the list of teams executives expected. Yet here we are.
What has been the reaction around the NBA? Well, needless to say, LeBron's new teammates are pumped.
Safe to say Tyrese Maxey is hype to be playing with Bron
And, of course, the politicians were quick to capitalize.
LEBRON IS COMING TO PHILLY.
By the power vested in me as the Governor of the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a die-hard Sixers fan... I hereby proclaim today to be LEBRON JAMES DAY.
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(@big_business_) July 24, 2026
