The Sixers didn’t land LeBron James by accident this summer. They sold him on a roster, a fit and a path to winning, and according to president of basketball operations Mike Gansey, the biggest turn in the whole chase came when Philadelphia pulled off the Jaylen Brown trade.
Gansey laid out the recruitment process during an interview on the Phillies’ broadcast earlier this week, making it clear the Sixers believed they had a real shot from the start. The pitch, as he described it, came down to two things: LeBron already had relationships inside the room, and Philadelphia had a team that could contend.
“I always thought we'd be in the mix there just because we had a team that could really contend with him,” Gansey said. “And obviously his relationship with some of the players. Our players did a great job-Tyrese (Maxey), Joel (Embiid), Nick (Nurse), our ownership everyone tried to talk to him and sell him on Philly.”
That work didn’t happen in a vacuum. Gansey said he stayed locked in through the long free-agency process, even as rumors kept swirling about LeBron possibly returning to one of his former teams. At one point, he even went back and studied how LeBron and Embiid looked together on the Olympic stage.
“When LeBron was maybe a possibility,” he told ESPN, “I went back and watched some of the Olympic tape with him and LeBron. Those two played pretty well together.”
The Sixers also had help from Tyrese Maxey, who already had a connection to LeBron through their shared agent. Maxey said it didn’t take much to make his case.
“Not many, not many,” he said about how many texts and calls it took to get LeBron on board. “It wasn't a lot of convincing. There were a couple phone calls, couple texts.”
Nick Nurse pitched him too, focusing on fit, leadership and what LeBron could add in key moments. Speaking on NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Takeoff With John Clark, Nurse said the conversation started with how naturally LeBron would slot into the roster.
“He's a great player, and we're fortunate to have him on the team, and that's where I started,” he shared.
“I said I think you slot right in there perfectly. We did talk about some multi-position situations.
Talked to him about his leadership and professionalism in general that could help raise the level of some things. Talked about his late-game play, things like that.”
But Gansey made it clear the real hinge point was Philadelphia’s move for Brown in early July. He believes that trade shifted the whole picture for LeBron and his camp.
“If that doesn't happen I don't think we get that,” Gansey said. After the deal, he called Rich Paul immediately.
“I called Rich right away and said, 'Hey, we got Jaylen. Is there a chance LeBron would want to come to us?' They said, 'Yeah, this changes some things.'”
Gansey said the process kept moving from there as LeBron and his representation did their due diligence, while the Sixers continued making their case.
“They talked about it, and the whole process of three weeks or whatever it went they were doing all their due diligence with LeBron and talking to our players and other teams; their representation stuff. So it was a long process, but we don't get LeBron without Jaylen, that's for sure.”
For Gansey, the wait was a grind. The rumors kept changing, the uncertainty kept building, and the front office had to stay patient.
“It was exciting, nerve-racking, you know, because at some point it's like, 'Man, just make a decision,'” Gansey laughed. “But obviously we wanted to give him space, which he rightfully deserves.”
Now that the chase is over, Gansey says the only thing that matters is the result.
“He waited as long as he could,” Gansey said. “I'm just glad he's a Sixer.”
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