|
|
07/24/26 03:01:00
Printable Page
07/24 15:00 CDT LeBron James is heading to the Philadelphia 76ers, saying it
will be his 'last decision'
LeBron James is heading to the Philadelphia 76ers, saying it will be his 'last
decision'
By DAN GELSTON
AP Sports Writer
PHILADELPHIA (AP) --- LeBron James' first "final" decision was that he would
retire. Weeks of deep reflection led him to change his mind, however, with all
the familiar options in front of him to extend his career; a third trip with
Cleveland, a second stop in Miami, maybe even stay in California for a
high-profile union in Golden State.
Nope --- to all of those teams.
The blaring headline in bold letters still seemed like a feverish dream to the
bulk of a fan base that wasn't even alive the last time the franchise won a
title, but it's true:
LeBron James is heading to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The NBA's all-time leading scorer made the announcement on social media Friday,
saying it will be his "last decision" and that it comes after he strongly
considered retirement.
"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 said.
A four-time NBA champion, James wrote he was "done" when his 23rd NBA season
ended and that it was his last with the Los Angeles Lakers.
"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
this game," James wrote. "I still truly love this game, and I have more to
give."
The 41-year-old James is set to sign a modest $8 million, two-year contract on
the veterans' minimum with the Sixers, according to ESPN. He made nearly $53
million last season.
"I'm not going for money. I'm not going for family," James wrote. "What am I
really playing for at this point? I still want to sacrifice. I still want to
work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a
chance at the feeling of winning."
James celebrated his decision on Instagram with a career highlight reel set to
Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill's "Dreams and Nightmares," the adopted sports
anthem of city teams.
The video ends with the lyric, "hold up, wait a minute. Y'all thought I was
finished?" and cuts to a 76ers' logo.
Fanatics already had his No. 23 jersey on sale for $125 with delivery not
expected until the end of August. The company sold out within hours of the
announcement.
Much as James did for Cleveland when he ended a 56-year championship drought
for the city by leading the Cavaliers to the title in 2016, he can snap a
lengthy title drought for the Sixers.
The Sixers went 45-37 last season and were swept in the second round by the NBA
champion New York Knicks.
Most betting sites had the Sixers as 9-1 favorites to win the championship
behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, the San Antonio Spurs and the New York
Knicks, as of Friday afternoon.
James joins a 76ers team that has not won an NBA championship since 1983 and
has not advanced out of the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs
since 2001.
The 76ers should boast one of the top starting fives in the NBA with
second-year standout VJ Edgecombe, fellow All-Stars Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey
and Jaylen Brown --- the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, a five-time All-Star and the
league's fourth-leading scorer this past season acquired in a stunning
offseason deal with the Celtics.
Maxey posted an Instagram story of him celebrating in a gym and yelling "what!?
what?!" over the news while Brown wrote on X "#throwtheballup." Brown wrote the
same phrase in his introductory note to Philadelphia, and it has already been
branded on billboards throughout the city.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro even proclaimed Friday as LeBron James Day in
the state.
Turned out with the Brown deal, new 76ers team president Mike Gansey --- an
Ohio prep basketball star with James --- was just getting started with his
summer of surprises.
No move, of course, hits like James' arrival.
Playing with his home team in Cleveland to the bright lights of Los Angeles and
with the talent he took to Miami, James won an NBA championship everywhere he
played. James left the Lakers after an eight-season run highlighted by the 2020
NBA title.
James is the NBA's oldest active player at 41 and the only player in league
history to have a career spanning 23 seasons; this coming season will be his
24th. Speculation has been rampant for more than two months about his future,
officially starting in May when the Lakers were eliminated from the NBA
playoffs.
James' resume is beyond compare in NBA history. He's a 22-time All-Star, a
21-time All-NBA selection, a four-time Most Valuable Player, a four-time NBA
Finals MVP, a three-time All-Star Game MVP, and was a member of the NBA's 75th
anniversary team.
He's also coming off a season where he averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and
7.2 assists per game. For his career, he's averaged 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds
and 7.4 assists in more than 1,600 games.
James started his career in Cleveland in 2003 and spent seven seasons with the
Cavaliers before heading to Miami for four seasons --- where he won his first
two NBA titles. He then returned to Cleveland for four more seasons, including
that title run in 2016, and left in 2018 for the Lakers.
Cleveland and Miami were believed to be on James' radar again as he weighed
this decision.
"Thank you LA. Miami I'll forever love and Northeast Ohio will always home!"
James wrote.
He eighty-sixed them all for a shot to win a title with the 76ers, a franchise
with a career lineup that includes Wilt Chamberlain, Allen Iverson, Julius
Erving, Charles Barkley and, for the next two seasons, LeBron James.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
|
