It took a very long time, but LeBron James has now decided on his next team, and it’s surprisingly the Philadelphia 76ers. All the talk seemed to be about the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers, but it’s the 76ers who have won the James sweepstakes, and it’s safe to say their players are happy.
76ers star Tyrese Maxey led the charge in terms of recruiting James to Philadelphia, and he is unsurprisingly over the moon.
“Ahh,” Maxey screamed. “What? What? What?”
Tyrese Maxey on IG. 🤣🤣🤣
(h/t @NBAKrell)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 24, 2026
Maxey and James are both Klutch Sports Group clients and have been friends for years. They have even worked out together and will now get to play together.
Now, while Maxey led the way in terms of recruitment, James only considered signing with the 76ers after they acquired Jaylen Brown. Brown has reacted to this news as well, although he was a lot more measured.
“Throw the ball up,” Brown wrote.
— Jaylen Brown (@FCHWPO) July 24, 2026
Imagine telling someone a year ago that Brown and James would be teammates! It would have been unthinkable. It would have also perhaps been unthinkable for VJ Edgecombe that he’d one day play with James. Edgecombe wasn’t even born when the 41-year-old began his NBA career, and he reacted to the news by recreating the famous meme.
VJ Edgecombe just did the LeBron meme 🤣 pic.twitter.com/ROWjxDCmkh
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) July 24, 2026
James, of course, had previously shared a picture of him striking this pose in a pool with the message, “Smiling through it all! Can’t believe this my life.” Edgecombe probably can’t believe it either. He had called James the greatest player of all time and had hoped he’d come to the 76ers. That dream is now a reality.
We haven’t gotten a reaction out of Joel Embiid, but you’d imagine he’s pretty thrilled about this too. The 76ers now have an impressive core of James, Maxey, Edgecombe, Brown, and Embiid. It might be the best in the NBA.
Now, we had last seen the 76ers in the NBA Finals all the way back in 2001. They haven’t even made the Eastern Conference Finals since, and you’d back them to end that drought at the very least.
James, who signed a two-year, $8 million deal with a player option for the second year, believes he can help make the 76ers a championship team, and they definitely have a shot at winning it all. They’re not getting the 22-time All-Star at the peak of his powers, but he is still operating at a high level.
James put up 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2025-26. He is the kind of elite playmaker the 76ers needed, and they are going to be must-watch television next season.
