The NBA’s all-time leading scorer has officially made his decision.
And it’s not the Miami Heat.
James, a four-time champion and a free agent for the first time since 2018, has decided to sign a two-year, $8 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania first reported Friday.
In a thread posted to Twitter not long after the announcement, LeBron explained his rationale behind his decision.
“This is my last decision,” James tweeted. “I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family. What am I really playing for at this point? I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship.
“I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time.
“Thank you LA. Miami I’ll forever love and Northeast Ohio will always home!”
James, 41, will now join forces with Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe and the newly-acquired Jaylen Brown, among others. Even before the acquisition, the 76ers were expected to be one of the best teams in the East after stealing Brown away from the Boston Celtics.
With James, an elite playmaker still capable of scoring 20-plus points per night, the 76ers become that much more formidable.
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LeBron going to the Sixers with three studs in Embiid, Maxey and Brown, seems to me like he does not want to carry more load than he did with the Lakers,
He wants a team with an easier path to the Finals and less burden for him to carry, if all are healthy.
That for sure will make any 41 years old player happy.
Forget the talk of being competitive and meeting challenges. If it were so, the Hawks, the Bulls, Orlando Magic etc, teams with slimmer odds than Miami or Philly of being contenders this season, would have been the place to go.
Looking at his chosen list of teams under consideration these past weeks, the Sixers is one of the teams with the most forgiving fan base for their star player, Embiid.
When the team has failed in its championship quest, the fans have called for a change of management or coach but never for Embiid to be traded, the worst is a boo which is quickly forgotten when they a take a cold shower.
Embiid has rarely faced the wrath of the fans but rather has enjoyed great empathy from the Sixers fans. The Sixers were known in the past to be brutal with players but not lately since arrival of Embiid. Not any more.
So it makes the most appealing team for LeBron at this point in his career.
It is all about a 41 year old enjoying a competitive season without the mental and physical stress/strain that playing for other teams will put on him.
It is all about a 41 years not worrying about what the fans will say after a failed season.
Knowing that, is comforting and surely will make you take so much time as he did to sift through the list of teams of which fan base will offer you that.
That might be the definition of happiness depending on how you look at it.
Contrary to Smith A , Smith’a allusion it is not in Cleveland that a pungent fart will smell like that all alluring perfume.
It is Phily in LeBron’s calculation, the land of brotherly love.
That will make you happy being away from home making less money.
That will make you throw in the towel with the Lakers for another team.
What ever is his reason, justifiably or not, hidden in its real intent or not.
The King deserves it, considering how much fun he has given to the basketball nation, how much money he brought to counties, how much money he made for owners and the NBA.
He deserves the empathy that Embiid enjoys, if he fails.
After all, the King is human too.
Read a few random comments below and ALL and not one, come from a place of sadness and disappointment. At the very least, he did not soil for some the mood of the just concluded World CUP,
NBA Power Rankings after Summer League and LeBron signing with the 76ers
(July 24, 2026 – FANSIDED)
RANK/TEAM
1. Oklahoma City Thunder
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. New York Knicks
4. Philadelphia 76ers
5. Minnesota Timberwolves
6. Detroit Pistons
7. Los Angeles Lakers
8. Boston Celtics
9. Toronto Raptors
10. Miami Heat
11. Denver Nuggets
12. Cleveland Cavaliers
13. Charlotte Hornets
14. Houston Rockets
15. Indiana Pacers
16. Atlanta Hawks
17. Phoenix Suns
18. Golden State Warriors
19. Portland Trail Blazers
20. Utah Jazz
21. Orlando Magic
22. Washington Wizards
23. Dallas Mavericks
24. New Orleans Pelicans
25. Chicago Bulls
26. Los Angeles Clippers
27. Brooklyn Nets
28. Memphis Grizzlies
29. Milwaukee Bucks
30. Sacramento Kings
Meanwhile, back in Miami:
Giannis just said one thing Heat fans didn’t want to hear right now.Giannis may already be looking forward to a return to Milwaukee. (allucanheat)
“I really believed that I would stay in Milwaukee for my entire career….And I am happy to be in Miami. I can’t lie, I don’t feel comfortable in Miami. I’ll go there and do my best…. I bleed purple and green… Basketball wise, I had a great time there. That will always be in my heart. That will never leave. I don’t know but I hope when the Miami chapter closes, and I don’t know when or if it will, and I don’t know how many years I’ll spend there, but I wish to return to Milwaukee if they’ll have me.”
f that dont feel comfy in miami what terrible thing to say.like to hear that recording cant believe he would say that
A follow up question should have been, what is about Miami that he does not feel comfortable about? The reporter missed an opportunity.
Passive-aggressive behavior is an indirect way of expressing anger, resentment, or hostility instead of talking about it openly.
What better way of sending out a big F.U. to Riley and Heat fans than by stringing them along then signing with an Eastern Conference competitor. It was even a more chicken s**t gesture towards his home team and state, Cleveland, Ohio. F.U. back LeBron. Two can play that game. No jersey in the rafters or statue in front of the arena for you buddy. Hope you lose.
Apparently, his long list of desireables/requirements was all just a big smoke screen. The whole time, he was planning to put all of his eggs in the Embiid basket. If Embiid stays healthy they have a chance for a title. If Embiid gets injured (again) they won’t make it out of second round.
Prior to LeBron’s announcement, Philadelphia sat at roughly an 8% implied probability (longshots around 75-1 or +7500 on next-team markets such as Kalshi), trailing behind frontrunners such as the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors. The biggest losers were those who placed bets on Miami and Cleveland.
At those long shot odds, I wonder if any of LeBron’s friends and family “got lucky” by placing their bets on Philadelphia? It’s definitely worth an Adam Silver inquiry/ investigation. He thoroughly investigates (almost) everyone else.
Other points to consider:
I like Miami’s odds.
GO HEAT!!!
Either Embid or even LeBron breaks down. Whatever…championship ain’t happening. Enjoy the cheesesteaks…
That’s some messed up shit, lol! I have never considered Philly as a real option. It will be a weird mix of players there..they might be a fun team to watch, especially if things don’t go as planned.
Nothing is better to watch then a super team collapsing.
I was always worried about Philly. In retrospect, the trust the process comment was telling. And it’s also not surprising he went there as they have a good chance even with Embiid’s limitations.
For us, there needs to be some response, some acquisition that helps strengthen our chances. This is why waiting on a player when there are other moves to be made can be detrimental. Let’s hope we get some good news now soon as we have some roster spots that need filling.
Time to move on and pick up the pieces.
Will Cavs fans burn his jersey in effigy again? lol
lol
i expect a flurry of signings in nba now and we have greek and the city of miami great destination it wasnt before we landed greek
Good luck with the golf game !
Gonna be to busy eating LeCheeseSteaks.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Miami can use another big, another shooter and another playmaker. It will be interesting to see which players ultimately sign with the Heat. I’m sure Riley has prepared for this situation.
It would be great if he could turn Wiggins and Jovic into Irving, sign DeRozan and Beal or Westbrook and add a big. I see at least 3 of the following players: Larsson, Conwell, Jovic, Fontecchio and Mitchell having very good years.
The Sixers starting unit doesn’t seem to need another ball handler. Is the plan for LeBron to come in off the bench? Will he be expected to play center when Embiid is out injured?
Sixers offense should be great. The defense, not so much, especially when Embiid is out. I see them trading one of their young backcourt studs for a proven big to help carry the frontcourt load.
P.S. I wonder who made a ton of money betting he would select Philly and if it was based on “inside” information? Hmm?
if u ck back few weeks ago i picked phily.dont like wig deal 30 mil to much jovic untradeable except maybe to denver.got some work to do u and pat lets go
You also said GS about 50 times.
lol thank you. That was his final pick.
he preferred gsw i believe but w/o healthy quitter roster wasnt good enough.pat should have put a call into d wade get him back that would have gotten goativa down here
I’m sure Riley has a plan B. You don’t think he hocked 4 young players, four draft picks and two pick swaps to move up 3 spots, do you?
I expect a couple of signings and a possible trade in next few days. Interesting that even with Giannis, Miami is still only projected as a play-in team at #7 in the East. Charlotte, Atlanta, Orlando and Washington are all projected to finish lower.
2026 is going to be a real dogfight for the top 6 spots. Philly, New York, Boston, Detroit, Toronto (with Kahwi), Cleveland Indiana, Orlando, Charlotte and Miami. There is clearly a talent gap between the top (e.g. New York, Philly and Boston) and the rest of the conference.
I don’t see the Heat being in the play-in, more like top 5. And I am not sold on the PG Celtics as top 3. It will be an interesting battle. I really like and admire LeBron, but I will definitely be rooting against the Sixers. However, along with Maxey, Brown, Edgecombe, Love, Simons, Philon, and many other young players, they might be the deepest team in the league.
Most talented team in NBA, but really weird mix of players. I m not sure if this will ever be a team.
Deepest offensive team by far. Defense is the problem without a big trade. Offense sells tickets. Defense win championships. What are LeBron’s ball handling/ playmaking responsibilities?
b/c is not champ level .need two more there and a big
How much money did you bet/win on your prediction?
never bet sports it would take joy out of watching.he wanted to stay in cali but gsw w/o quitter not champ roster.harden scared him from cleve.pat and no wade not miami.phily best roster wants two more rings hope he doesnt get it
Ok, now fill the holes.
Another big and playmaker?
KO, Gabe, Yasubele, Richards, Love, Eubanks, Tillman, Kawamura still available.
From the list, Yasubele and Gabe for me.
gabe stop
Yasubele signed a big deal with some foreign club. So I don’t think we getting him.
True, my mistake.. He is in Greece.
DeRozan, Beal, Westbrook?
No, no, no.
Then who, who, who? Gabe, K.O. and Beasley?
Me,me,me.
yes yes yes
We should find out soon.
we got greek portis resigned wig.lot to be happy about.b/c needs some work
Let’s get a list of shooters going.
Well that’s a big shocker that I wasn’t expecting, Ig he doesn’t want that ball in his hands, and when embiid gets hurt he will play center. Trusting the process will result in failure, well now we can move on.
Regardless…Bob Myers can’t control the brittle knees of Embid which would hold the balance of the Sixer’s hope to make a real championship run.
Each time in the 2nd round Embiid is already toast. If he can somehow make it, then yeah they will have a great chance to win it all.
Ok, its done. I m not unhappy about that, he would be a distraction more then everything else, and an additional pressure to win it all immediately. We are not ready for that with or without LBJ:
Now that pressure is on Philly. The tanking curse in Philly is still on.
Phantom of the Process.
Exactly.
Forgot…another ball for Brown! 4 ball rule change.
He was the best option for Miami. Now time to pivot to some less desirable options. On the bright side Pelle didn’t just lose all his minutes and can continue to develop.
who else goes to phily now ring chaser destination
NBA will need to change rules allowing teams to use 3 basketballs for Embid, Maxey, then rest of team. Thought LeBron was smarter than that.
This one surprised me…..so where does golf, where does family, where does warm weather play into the Philly decision?
Now that the distraction is gone, can we talk about landing DeRozan or Beal, or have they been pissed off by the Heat for being considered 2nd fiddles?
should have just gone after dd told him your as good as 42 year old lebron.we’d rather have u
They’ll land one of the two. Giannis is still here.
i think the riley factor swayed goats decision to go elsewhere.greek bam wiggy dav bron dam
I think the leak from Miami social media team messed it up.
my opinion was from day 1 his bf wade wasnt here anymore and hes prob little mad at riley.believe we had no chance for goat.hope we land derozan
Maybe, but I’ll take derozan or beal, and nick Richards too.
all 3 puts us in competition with nyk and phily.derozan would be #1 option .havent seen beal in a while but hes not explosive anymore not so high on him,dd moves the needle beal really doesnt
Yea, but Beal will be able to space the floor more, but I feel you. How u feeling about lavine or D’Angelo Russell, who might get bought out?
Prefer Levine out of those two. Wtf has happened to Russell the last few years? His 3pt % has dropped big time. Where is his head? Doesn’t seem like a Heat guy. Now if they brought him in I would believe he has a chance to get back on track.
Agreed, and your right idk what happened to his 3 ball, might be in his head like you said, but I think spo could probably bring him back to at least 36 percent from the 3.
russell dont like lavigne scores alot never been on a good team
Why doesn’t he like Avril? Sounds Complicated.
Embiid is always hurt and doesn’t come through when it matters. He hasn’t played more than 39 games since the 2022-23 season. How is he going to share the ball with Maxey and Brown? That team can’t win a championship even with LeBron. Letting LeBron make his own decision was really dumb. Rich Paul should have saved him from himself.
That was a curveball. Oh well. Now we can see who we can sign.
max meyers got a good one
I feel like if he was coming here, that YouTube leak might have swayed him not to come here. Still don’t think he put us over the top and I don’t think he does so in Philly either… guess we will see 🤷🏻♂️
if butler was healthy think he would have gone to gsw
knew he wasnt coming here harden scared him away from cleve.gsw not champ level.phily makes sense great roster tight with maxey.ok lets get derozan now
Lol
That’s just it…
Lol