Rich Paul, who is LeBron James’ agent, recently spoke to ESPN after his superstar client confirmed that he is heading to the 76ers. Paul revealed that a sense of loyalty to the Lakers was never a factor in LeBron James’ decision during free agency.
“There’s no loyalty in business,” Paul told ESPN. “Especially for an athlete. That’s like playing blackjack. You got both of your cards up, and the dealer is only showing you one of theirs.”
“It’s not like, ‘I’m going to stay in here. I’m going to keep losing. I’m going to lose 20 hands in a row because I’m just loyal to you, the dealer.’ You get a new shoe.”
Paul’s comments indicate that James was not willing to remain in a situation he did not believe was a championship contender. James had to make the cold business decision while keeping that public moral compass aside.
Near the end of the 2025-26 season, there were reports of a growing rift between the Lakers’ front office and LeBron James, to an extent that he reportedly felt disrespected by them.
Considering that money was never a factor, he would reportedly have taken the $48 million pay cut if the Lakers’ front office had shown him their roadmap to a championship-contending roster. But it seems that they could not give him that reassurance despite publicly claiming that they wanted him back.
It remains unclear if James and the Lakers parted ways on good terms. Some felt that the Lakers allowed James to save face and declare it on his own that it was his decision not to return. And now Paul’s comments hint that the Lakers were a losing situation where James could not stay simply due to loyalty. So it is increasingly looking like the divorce was on bad terms.
But if going to a championship-contending team was James’ priority, it is a bit puzzling to hear what Paul now has to say about James’ new team, the 76ers. Even if he is speaking his own mind and not on behalf of his client.
“The Sixers aren’t favorites to win it all. I don’t think they are the best team in the league,” Paul reportedly said on his podcast.
There are several concerns that renowned NBA voices have raised with the 76ers despite them having four All-Stars in their potential starting lineup. Like team chemistry, lack of bench depth, and potential health concerns, there are still several hurdles that the 76ers need to jump over before being considered favorites to come out of the East, over teams like the Knicks. Let alone being the favorites to win it all.
It will be interesting to see if the 41-year-old James can still compete for a championship with this roster. But even after having a star-studded roster, it is surprising to hear Paul say this about his star client’s team.
