LeBron James is headed to Philadelphia.
According to Shams Charania of ESPN, who said he heard from agent Rich Paul, the four-time MVP has agreed to a two-year, minimum-salary deal with the Sixers that includes a second-year player option. Klutch Sports Group later confirmed the move.
James addressed the decision himself in a social media post, saying he had spent real time weighing whether he was done after the season.
“I thought I was done when the season ended,” James wrote in his own post on social media announcing his decision (Twitter thread). “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 decide if I still love this game.
“I still truly love this game, and I have more to give. The last few weeks have really been special.
I’ve never been able to have no clue what to do and take real time to just think. I’ve had an incredible few months with all the people I love trying to figure it all out.
“This is my last decision. 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 L.A. Miami I’ll forever love and Northeast Ohio will always (be) home!”
The move ends a long offseason wait that began on June 30, when it was reported that James had told the Lakers he would not be re-signing after eight seasons in Los Angeles. From there, he spent more than three weeks considering his next step without a firm destination in place.
By the first week of free agency, reports said James and Paul had trimmed the field to a handful of possible landing spots: the Heat, Cavaliers, Warriors, Timberwolves, Nuggets and 76ers. Paul later laid out those choices on a white board during an episode of his “Game Over” podcast, where he also noted that James “loves” Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey, another Klutch client. He also pointed to new president of basketball operations Mike Gansey as someone worth factoring into the decision, since James and Gansey go back to their days as high school players in Ohio, and Gansey later worked in Cleveland’s front office during James’ second stint with the Cavaliers.
Even with Charania reporting in recent weeks that James seemed to be leaning more toward Eastern Conference options, a return to one of his former teams had long been viewed as the more likely outcome than a move to Philadelphia. The Cavaliers were seen as the early favorites, and the Heat had recently moved ahead of them as the betting favorite.
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