LeBron James stunned the NBA on Friday by announcing he will sign a two-year, roughly $8 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, leaving the Los Angeles Lakers after eight seasons.
The 41-year-old had considered retirement after last season and said he thought he had played his final NBA game. He signed with the Sixers without any guarantee of a welcoming environment, and talks were needed to clear the air before his arrival, according to the Daily Mail.
A reunion with new teammate Jaylen Brown carried particular tension. Brown's trade from the Boston Celtics to Philadelphia earlier in the offseason is believed to have been a major factor in recruiting James.
While with the Celtics, Brown went viral for unflattering comments about James's son, Bronny, after he was drafted by the Lakers in 2024. Brown said, "I don't think Bronny is a pro."
Brown also clashed with new teammate Joel Embiid earlier this year. After the Celtics were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Sixers, Brown said, "Flopping has ruined our league. Joel Embiid is one of the greatest players that has played basketball, but he flops. He knows it too."
Executives smooth things over
The Daily Mail reported that Sixers executives worked behind the scenes in recent weeks to resolve the tension, and the team's stars have buried the hatchet ahead of James's arrival.
A source told the Daily Mail that any issues James had with Brown took a back seat because winning changes everything, adding that James has already won championships by changing teams in Miami and Cleveland, so returning to either situation would have felt like a step backward.
The source said Golden State had been viewed as a frontrunner for a while but increasingly looked like a retirement tour rather than a true championship destination, given the difficulty of reaching the NBA Finals from the Western Conference. The Eastern Conference, the source said, presents a more realistic road back to the Finals given Philadelphia's roster.
The source added that Brown also had past issues with Embiid but that conversations have smoothed things over, and that Tyrese Maxey's presence and his connection with agent Rich Paul helped reassure everyone involved.
Family considerations
It remains unclear how James's wife, Savannah, feels about leaving Los Angeles for the East Coast after eight years. Savannah, like James, was born in Akron, Ohio, and the two met when James played high school football and she cheered for the rival team.
The couple share three children, Bronny, Bryce and Zhuri. The source said James promised his family this will be his final shot at a fifth NBA championship, and that his wife and kids fully supported the move once he assured them it would be his final chapter.
The announcement
James made the announcement on social media Friday, calling it his "last decision" and saying it followed serious consideration of retirement. The Sixers went 45-37 last season and were swept in the second round by the NBA champion New York Knicks. Philadelphia has not won a championship since 1983, but the team quickly emerged as a favorite with most betting sites.
James wrote that he believes he can help make the 76ers a championship team and said he is excited to energize a new fan base and start the journey one last time.
A four-time NBA champion, James had written that he was "done" when his 23rd NBA season ended with the Lakers. He wrote that he was pretty sure he had played his last game and had been honest at his last press conference about needing to decide if he still loved the game, but said he still truly loves it and has more to give.
According to ESPN, James is set to sign the two-year, $8 million deal, a steep drop from the nearly $53 million he made last season.
James wrote that he is not playing for money or family, and said he still wants to sacrifice, work, grind and compete for the chance to win.
James celebrated the decision on Instagram with a career highlight reel set to Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill's "Dreams and Nightmares," the adopted anthem of the city's sports teams. The video ends with the lyric "hold up, wait a minute, y'all thought I was finished?" before cutting to the Sixers logo.
