{"id":825295,"date":"2026-07-25T13:35:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T13:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/825295\/"},"modified":"2026-07-25T13:35:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T13:35:12","slug":"lebron-to-the-sixers-what-the-nba-still-doesnt-get","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/825295\/","title":{"rendered":"LeBron to the Sixers: What the NBA Still Doesn\u2019t Get"},"content":{"rendered":"

League sources were stunned by LeBron\u2019s decision to choose Philadelphia. They shouldn\u2019t have been. <\/p>\n

As LeBron James<\/a>, at age 41, embarks on one ring chase, with one final superteam, accompanied by one final cascade of predictable criticism, it\u2019s helpful to remember where this journey began, more than two decades ago. It\u2019s helpful to remember the church. The one where Bernie Mac served as the preacher and a choir literally sang LeBron\u2019s praises as he zipped divine passes to an array of jubilant congregants.<\/p>\n

The Chosen One was (as ever) surrounded by basketball legends\u2014Jerry West, Dr. J, George Gervin, Moses Malone\u2014all smiling and nodding in approval of his prodigious passing and vision. The \u201cBook of Dimes\u201d Nike commercial<\/a>, filmed in 2003, told us everything we needed to know about basketball\u2019s teenaged messiah: He was blessed with \u201ccrazy court vision.\u201d He wanted \u201cglory \u2026 for the team.\u201d And yeah, given a choice, he\u2019d prefer to be in the company of superstars.<\/p>\n

So here we are in 2026\u201412,000 assists and approximately 100,000 later\u2014and LeBron James just did the thing<\/a> we all should have expected him to do. He chose the franchise with the most star power, and (among his official finalists) probably the best chance for a title. He chose Tyrese Maxey<\/a> and Jaylen Brown<\/a>, Joel Embiid<\/a> and VJ Edgecombe<\/a>. He chose the Philadelphia 76ers\u2014a team with which he had no personal, emotional, or historic connections\u2014over the sentimentality of Cleveland, the nostalgia of Miami, and the romantic appeal of Golden State.<\/p>\n

\u201cWTF,\u201d texted an Eastern Conference coach. \u201cShocking.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shocking, because so many of expected James, at this late stage, to opt for poetry over prose, to choose compelling narratives over competitive zeal. After all, the man is 41 (and a half), and his basketball legacy is firmly and indisputably set. Four championships, four MVPs, the all-time career scoring title, and an eternal seat in the interminable GOAT debate. He doesn\u2019t need to chase rings or ghosts. He doesn\u2019t need to move nearly 3,000 miles from his family, to play in a cold-weather city on the Eastern Seaboard, for a snake-bit franchise that holds zero personal resonance. And yet he\u2019s going to.<\/p>\n

More on LeBron\u2019s Move From L.A. to Philly<\/p>\n

More on LeBron\u2019s Move From L.A. to Philly<\/p>\n

But in retrospect, we should have seen it coming. This is, after all, what James has always done. When he determined the Cavaliers couldn\u2019t win it all, he chose South Beach, to play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. When the Heat began to falter, he returned to Cleveland, to play with Kyrie Irving and Kevin And when the Cavs faded, James chose the Lakers, where he quickly recruited Anthony Davis to join him. Why, we should have asked ourselves, would he operate any differently now? And why wouldn\u2019t he want to move East, given the gauntlet of powerhouses atop the West? \u201cI think Golden State was a better fit,\u201d said an Eastern Conference executive, \u201cbut he wanted no part of the West.\u201d<\/p>\n

We can debate whether a fifth ring, with a fourth team, as a glorified role player surrounded by younger stars, would significantly alter James\u2019s place in the basketball pantheon. But the debate is probably immaterial now. James wants another ring because it\u2019s there, because chasing rings\u2014in the non-pejorative sense\u2014is what he\u2019s always done.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship,\u201d James said on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He wants a title run, not a retirement tour\u2014even if it means inviting the same old backlash. The barbs came quickly and predictably on Friday, from all the usual voices, along with some skepticism about Philly\u2019s chances to win it all.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Executives and coaches across the NBA say the Sixers are indeed contenders, based on talent alone: Maxey and Brown are top-20 players; Embiid\u2019s still a force when Edgecombe\u2019s a budding star. There are, of course, plenty of reasonable doubts\u2014about depth and chemistry and egos and age and health\u2014but then, there always are when a new superteam forms.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood luck,\u201d said a rival executive. \u201cThey do not have any role players on their team now. All those guys want and need the ball. I\u2019m not sure any will want to <\/p>\n

\u201cSomebody will have to check their ego at the door,\u201d said another team executive, \u201cand I don\u2019t see Joel or Bron being the ones to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Good luck. They do not have any role players on their team now. All those guys want and need the ball. I\u2019m not sure any will want to sacrifice.<\/p>\n

A rival NBA executive<\/p>\n

And yet both execs declared the Sixers a legit contender anyway. And the shocked Eastern Conference coach nevertheless said James will fit well with Sixers\u2019 younger stars: \u201cHe\u2019s so smart he can make it work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amid all the doubts, it\u2019s that last part that\u2019s worth remembering.\u00a0<\/p>\n

James might be guilty of occasional self-indulgence, but not selfish play. In his first Cleveland stint, he elevated the likes of Boobie Gibson and Donyell Marshall with his elite playmaking. In Miami, he struck the perfect balance between scoring and playmaking, empowered Wade and made Bosh a franchise legend. In his second Cleveland tour, he uplifted Irving and Love (and even J.R. Smith), all talents who\u2019d gone nowhere without him. In Los Angeles, he lifted up Davis, and made champions of Kyle Kuzma, JaVale McGee, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.<\/p>\n

Sure, James is guilty of choosing teams and teammates and leveraging every bit of his influence to surround himself with elite costars; but he\u2019s consistently given those costars room to be stars\u2014a virtue we saw once again last season<\/a>, as he ceded control and shot attempts to Luka Doncic<\/a> and Austin Reaves<\/a>. Why would we think he can\u2019t do the same with Maxey, Brown, and Embiid? James led a constellation of superstars to win Olympic gold in 2008 and 2012 and 2024. Is this really that much different?<\/p>\n

Maxey and Edgecombe will surely benefit from James\u2019s mentorship. The mercurial Brown could benefit from his PR savvy. Embiid could benefit from his work habits and attention to detail.<\/p>\n

As he approaches his 24th season, James has lost some burst and has eroded as a defender. The basketball IQ and passing ability, however, remain intact. He can still control a game with his playmaking. He can still create easier shots for everyone in his orbit. Maxey and Brown can do the same for him. And at this age, he\u2019d surely welcome a lighter offensive burden.<\/p>\n

When James made his NBA debut in 2003, it was said he\u2019d be \u201cmore Magic than Michael\u201d (a phrase used by Magic himself). He ended up a blend of both\u2014the greatest passer among the all-time scorers and the greatest scorer among the all-time passers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The divine \u201ccourt vision\u201d invoked in that shoe commercial all those years ago is still James\u2019s greatest gift.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Chosen One didn\u2019t ask for hops! He didn\u2019t ask for handles!\u201d Bernie Mac exulted in the commercial. \u201cWhy did the Chosen One ask for court vision? I\u2019m gonna tell you why\u2014he wanted glory \u2026 for the team!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPass! Pass! Pass! Pass!\u201d sang the choir.<\/p>\n

Even as he became the NBA\u2019s most prolific scorer, James would insist again and again that he viewed himself as a playmaker first, forever valuing the smart play, the right play. At this late stage of his career, surrounding himself with younger stars and morphing back into his Magic persona makes all the sense in the world.<\/p>\n

So if we\u2019re looking for symmetry and poetry in the Book of LeBron\u2019s final chapter, we won\u2019t find it in the city he chose, or the team he chose, but more likely in the role he chose. Cue the choir.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Howard Beck<\/p>\n

<\/a>Howard Beck got his basketball education covering the Shaq-and-Kobe Lakers for the L.A. Daily News starting in 1997, and has been writing and reporting about the NBA ever since. He\u2019s also covered the league for The New York Times, Bleacher Report, and Sports Illustrated. He\u2019s a co-host of \u2018The Real Ones.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"League sources were stunned by LeBron\u2019s decision to choose Philadelphia. They shouldn\u2019t have been. As LeBron James, at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":825296,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[49,48,459,82],"class_list":["post-825295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825295","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=825295"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/825295\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/825296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=825295"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=825295"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=825295"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}