In the coming weeks, expect plenty of NBA stars, analysts and pro athletes to make their pitch on why LeBron should come to their team or city. (Some of these pitches are being made via voice notes<\/a>, ESPN\u2019s Shams Charania reported Thursday).<\/p>\n Whose pitch stands out above the rest? Whose is the most convincing, the most creative or simply the most fun? We ranked our personal faves and duds below.<\/p>\n 4. IShowSpeed\/Jaylen Brown<\/p>\n To start things off, negative aura points go to uber-popular influencer and streamer IShowSpeed, whose nagging presence at sporting events has become rather tiresome. He and another notorious Twitch streamer, Jaylen Brown, united at Thursday\u2019s France-Morocco World Cup game and gave an awkward joint pitch to LeBron to come to Philadelphia.<\/p>\n \u201cYou gotta tell LeBron he gotta pull up, man. Pull up to Philly,\u201d Brown told IShowSpeed, gesturing to the cameras.<\/p>\n \u201cLeBron, pull up to Philly. Think about it. LeBron, Jaylen Brown, PG13,\u201d IShowSpeed said. To which Brown had to correct him and clarify that Paul George was not, in fact, in Philly anymore. Brown and George were part of a blockbuster trade package<\/a> between the Celtics and 76ers that swapped the stars earlier this month. <\/p>\n \u201cLeBron, pull up to Philly,\u201d Speed says next to Jaylen Brown pic.twitter.com\/5idN0uWEEg<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) July 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n We weren\u2019t at all convinced by the Twitch streamers\u2019 half-hearted attempts to lure LeBron to the 76ers, but the organization might not need their help after all<\/a>. <\/p>\n 3. Saquon Barkley<\/p>\n Even Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley got in on the recruiting fun and pitched his reason for why LeBron should join Philly.<\/p>\n \u201cI think [Philadelphia] is one of the greatest sports towns in the world,\u201d Barkley said. \u201cI know Josh Hart\u00a0said the opposite. I saw that today on Twitter. But I have to disagree with him. If you want to go out with a bang, I feel like a great spot would be in Philly, and bringing a championship to Philadelphia, you\u2019d be remembered forever.\u201d<\/p>\n Hey @KingJames<\/a> <\/p>\n Saquon Barkley makes his pitch to bring LeBron James to Philly pic.twitter.com\/4lY5AMq1Mh<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) July 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n A pretty straightforward recruiting attempt, coming from someone who moved to Philadelphia and has since seen his NFL career flourish. James shared some love to the Philly running back last year when he, like the rest of the world, couldn\u2019t believe Barkley pulled off a backwards hurdle<\/a>. There\u2019s clearly mutual respect there, it just might not be enough as James muses over all the pros and cons of his looming decision.<\/p>\n 2. Bob Myers<\/p>\n Bob Myers got straight to the point in his candid pitch to LeBron on Philly. Myers, who serves as the president of sports for the 76ers\u2019 ownership group, appealed to the 22-time All-Star on a recent episode of the Game Over podcast with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul.<\/p>\n Putting it quite plainly, Myers asserted that LeBron\u2019s best chance at winning another ring was in the City of Brotherly Love.<\/p>\n \u201cIf he was here, I\u2019d say I honestly believe this is your best chance to win,\u201d Myers said. \u201c… What I would just say is, if it’s about winning, let’s talk about this team. Because you can win here, in Philadelphia. <\/p>\n \u201cIf you want to talk about other stuff: What’s this guy like, what’s that guy like\u2014by the way, he knows players, a lot of them better than I do, their games\u2014this is a guy that probably watches more basketball than anybody understands. He’s probably watching a game in February that nobody’s watching. So not only does he know the guys, he knows how they play.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c”If he was here, I\u2019d say I honestly believe this is your best chance to win\u2026 If it\u2019s about winning, this is your team. You can win in Philadelphia.\u201d<\/p>\n ~ Bob Myers speaking about LeBron joining the Philadelphia 76ers on Rich Paul & Max Kellerman\u2019s podcast pic.twitter.com\/2MKnSHgUpb<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Josh Reynolds (@JoshReynolds24) July 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Shortly after James announced he was leaving the Lakers, Charania reported that he was prioritizing his \u201chappiness\u201d over money. Would winning his fifth NBA championship make him happier? Probably. But leaving the sunny West Coast and moving to the other side of the country? Probably not. <\/p>\n It\u2019s looking like it could be a toss up for LeBron to potentially end his career on the 76ers, though credit to Myers for making a heck of a pitch.<\/p>\n 1. Steph Curry<\/p>\n LeBron and Steph on the Warriors. This is the stuff dreams are made of.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a years-long flirtation that has only gotten more teasing in recent months, given James\u2019s very real availability and the fact that the Warriors could use a superstar to resuscitate their dynasty on its last breath. Without James, the Warriors will likely run it back with an aging team of Curry, Draymond Green and the recovering Jimmy Butler, while also keeping veteran contributors in Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis. <\/p>\n With James… well, Curry more seriously entertained the pipe dream<\/a> at a celebrity golf tournament this week.<\/p>\n \u201cThe pitch is: Do you want to play good basketball and be around people who know how to play the game? Raise our floor, our competitiveness,\u201d Curry said Thursday. \u201cThere\u2019s good golf in the Bay,\u201d he cheekily added.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re an organization that\u2019s been there. He knows that. That\u2019s really self-explanatory. It\u2019s a matter of where he sees himself fitting. At the end of the day, that\u2019s up to him,\u201d continued Curry.<\/p>\n Steph Curry on the Warriors\u2019 chances at LeBron James: \u201cI don\u2019t have a percentage. It\u2019s kinda up to him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe pitch is: Do you want to play good basketball and be around people who know how to play the game? Raise our floor, competitiveness…There\u2019s good golf in the Bay.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/6R4pA28Hbj<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) July 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Props to Curry for giving LeBron his space and not making the Warriors sound too needy or clingy. Also, his golf tidbit was genius\u2014of course the 41-year-old James would want to go somewhere he can both hoop and golf. <\/p>\n As things stand, the Warriors are not considered one of the favorites <\/a>to land the big whale, per Shams Charania. But when you have Curry on your side of the court, never say never.<\/p>\n Some imaginary pitches we\u2019d love to hear from LeBron James\u2019s other rumored suitors:<\/p>\n Miami Heat: Lionel Messi. Two GOATs in South Florida. Enough said.<\/p>\n Cleveland Cavaliers: Travis Kelce. The newly married Chiefs star probably is off on his honeymoon right now, but we\u2019d bet good money that he\u2019s at least thought about reaching out to The King to bring him home.<\/p>\n Minnesota Timberwolves: Bob Dylan. The T-Wolves could be a sneaky landing spot for LeBron this summer, and while Anthony Edwards seems like the obvious recruiter choice, we thought a bit out-of-the-box with Dylan, perhaps America\u2019s greatest living singer-songwriter and a bonafide Minnesotan legend. Dylan hasn\u2019t been seen at any NBA games ever (as far as we\u2019re aware) and may not even have a favorite team. He also probably doesn\u2019t have LeBron\u2019s number. But he was deeply inspired by \u201cPistol\u201d Pete Maravich and wrote about the New Orleans Jazz star\u2019s legacy in his memoir\u2014maybe there\u2019s some shooting star chance he lures LeBron to Minnesota like the Pied Piper. <\/p>\n More NBA from Sports Illustrated![\"\"](\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\"){kind=icon}
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