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LeBron James is headed back to the East after announcing he will sign with Philadelphia.<\/p>\n
LeBron James had choices, the kind of compelling options only afforded to one of the NBA\u2019s all-time greats at his age.<\/p>\n
Join Golden State, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green and try to deliver one more championship to this Warriors era.<\/p>\n
Go to Cleveland for another homecoming with the Cavs franchise that the Akron, Ohio, native began his career with and delivered a long-awaited title in 2016<\/a>.<\/p>\n Return to Miami, where he won\u00a0his first NBA championship<\/a>, two Kia MVPs and two Finals MVPs, and play alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo \u2014 and again under\u00a0longtime Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.<\/p>\n Team up in Philadelphia with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe and try to help the 76ers win their first title since 1983<\/a>.<\/p>\n Head to Denver and play alongside Nuggets star Nikola Joki\u0107 or go to Minnesota and see if he can help Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, LaMelo Ball and Ayo Dosunmu make that elusive first NBA Finals appearance.<\/p>\n It\u2019s remarkable that in his fifth decade on Earth and 20-plus years into his pro basketball career, James is a player teams want.<\/p>\n At 41 years old, James was again the focal point of free agency. Friday, he announced on social media that he will play for the Philadelphia 76ers<\/a> in 2026-27, a move that became official on Sunday.<\/p>\n Entering his 24th season, James remains in demand: perpetually an All-Star-caliber player who can help a team make a deep playoff run and possibly win a championship (which would be his fifth title).<\/p>\n In the early stage of middle age, James paused portions of league business. Teams that believed they had a chance to sign him this summer halted major roster decisions, and the league\u2019s TV partners wanted to know his next destination so they could schedule his new team for primetime viewing.<\/p>\n James\u2019 production and impact<\/a>, the longevity of that production and impact \u2014 and his power to command attention \u2014 are unlike anything previously witnessed in the NBA.<\/p>\n Same as it ever was. And you may ask yourself: How did we get here?<\/p>\n James in unique position<\/p>\n LeBron James’ top highlights from EVERY 40+ point triple-double in his career.<\/p>\n One, James has kept himself in supreme physical condition and retained enough skills that he still is a valuable contributor \u2013 even if he\u2019s not the first or second or third option.<\/p>\n Two, his free agency periods since 2010 have been the subject of intense interest and importance. For whom he plays has an impact on the NBA. It\u2019s almost unfathomable to think that it would be the case at this point in his career.<\/p>\n Three, James was an All-Star for the 22nd\u00a0time in 2025-26<\/a>. Four, he averaged 23.2 points, 7.3 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game for the Lakers in the 2026 NBA Playoffs. Five, he is and has been a captivating personality.<\/p>\n Once James told the Lakers he wasn\u2019t coming back<\/a>, he dominated free agency again \u2014 and took his time. In 2010<\/a>, going from Cleveland to Miami, he announced his next team in a made-for-TV special on July 8. In 2014<\/a>, going from Miami back to Cleveland, he revealed his choice through a magazine story on July 11. In 2018<\/a>, going from Cleveland to the Lakers, his choice of team came via a simple social media post from Klutch Sports Group on July 1<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rich Paul, CEO of Klutch Sports and James\u2019 agent, made his client\u2019s free agency even more dramatic by using a whiteboard on his \u201cGame Over\u201d podcast\/streaming program with Max Kellerman to list pros \u2013 and some cons \u2013 of teams James possibly considered<\/a>.<\/p>\n Not speaking directly for James, Paul outlined why certain teams presented good fits for his client based on roster, coaching, front office, ownership and familiarity. Philadelphia, Miami, Golden State, Cleveland, Minnesota and Denver seemed like the primary choices with San Antonio, Dallas and Boston on the periphery \u2014 at least according to Paul\u2019s diagram. He made convincing cases, so much so that one envisioned most of those teams as realistic possibilities.<\/p>\n As James contemplated his next stop \u2014 perhaps not his final destination either, who knows \u2014 he was fine with teams moving on without him if that was best for them. No team that thought it had a chance to sign him did that.<\/p>\n NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, a keynote speaker at the CNBC Sport x Boardroom Game Plan Summit\u00a0last week in New York, told moderator Andrew Ross Sorkin<\/a>, \u201cI have my own inkling, but it\u2019s not based on anything that LeBron or Rich have told me. I\u2019m not going to share it with you, but I\u2019m just saying, it\u2019s not, it\u2019s, I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n James\u2019 road to his latest decision<\/p>\n Stretching late into the third week of July, this was the latest James had announced his plans in free agency.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s going to be 42 this fall,\u201d Silver said. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing what he\u2019s done for the sport, for the league, and he deserves exactly what \u2014 the opportunities that were presented to him to be able to make his own decision on what\u2019s best for him and his family.\u201d<\/p>\n At the Game Plan Summit, James had a conversation with Boardroom\u2019s Rich Kleiman. Family was James\u2019 first priority, especially the considerations of his 11-year-old daughter Zhuri.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a big family guy,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople are like, \u2018Hurry up and make a (expletive) decision, Bron.\u2019 It\u2019s like, OK, it\u2019s not just about the team. \u2026<\/p>\n \u201cIt is challenging when you\u2019re trying to change the family tree, being present all the time, but also at the same time understanding that I have a passion over here that pulls me away from that. How do you balance that?\u201d<\/p>\n There were basketball considerations, too.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat not only best fits me as a player, what best fits me as a person, what best fits for my happiness, and also with my family as well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n James\u2019 thought process echoed advice influential agent David Falk, who represented Michael Jordan, often gave clients. He wanted them to consider multiple factors. Is it about money? Is it about a championship? Do you want to play in a certain city or for a specific team or coach? Is there another guy you want to play alongside? What is going to make you happiest?<\/p>\n As James measured his options during free agency, he also lived his best life. He golfed. Vacationed with teammates<\/a> from Cleveland\u2019s 2016 championship team. Golfed some more. Attended Jay-Z concerts<\/a> at Yankee Stadium. Sipped wine. Worked out. Conducted business.<\/p>\n He dismissed the idea that golf would influence his decision.<\/p>\n \u201cMy main focus while I\u2019m playing a game of basketball is to keep the main thing the main thing,\u201d James told Kleiman. \u201cAnd I have always done that. I will find a golf simulator if I\u2019m in the cold for sure. That will hold me over until they open up. But listen, keeping the main thing the main thing has always been the main focus for me. And that\u2019s the reason why everything has worked the way it\u2019s worked.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s off Philadelphia and a stacked Sixers starting five.<\/p>\n Paul added this nugget, too.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one said this is going to be his last year,\u201d Paul said during a recent podcast. \u201cNo one said that.<\/p>\n James seemed to support that possibility when he said in his social post: \u201cWhen I\u2019m done with (basketball), I\u2019d be 24, 25 years in \u2013 26 years who knows, whatever \u2013 (and) when I\u2019m done, there\u2019s no way I can fill that void.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I can now focus myself on other things that I want to do and continue to do what I have been doing, continue to build on what we have been doing as a company. I\u2019ve got a pretty good documentary in the works too. It is going to be electric when I\u2019m done with it.\u201d<\/p>\n * * *<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LeBron James is headed back to the East after announcing he will sign with Philadelphia. 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