LeBron James has stunned the NBA by signing with the Philadelphia 76ers.
It ends the uncertainty over the NBA icon’s future that has dominated the offseason and brings his spell with the Los Angeles Lakers to an end after an eight-season run highlighted by the 2020 NBA title.
James joins a menacing 76ers roster that includes the likes of Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey as he pursues an elusive fifth NBA title.
He is set to sign a modest $8 million, two-year contract with the Sixers, according to ESPN. He made nearly $53 million last season.
In a lengthy statement on X, the 41-year-old admitted he strongly considered retiring but believes he still has ‘more to give’ and can turn his new team into a contender.
He wrote: ‘I thought I was done when the season ended. I wasn’t ready to announce it, and I knew I needed some time to really decide, but I was pretty sure I played my last game. I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and deicide if I still love this game.
LeBron James is signing with the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year, $8 million deal
The 41-year-old, pictured with wife Savannah, has spent the summer deciding his future
James joins a menacing 76ers roster that includes the likes of Joel Embiid and Jaylen Brown
‘I still truly love this game, and I have more to give. The last few weeks have really been special. I’ve never been able to have no clue what to do and take real time to just think. I’ve had an incredible few months with all the people I love trying to figure it all out.
‘This is my last decision. I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family. What am I really playing for at this point? I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship.
‘I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time. Thank you LA. Miami I’ll forever love and Northeast Ohio will always home!’
James told the Lakers earlier this summer that he would not be returning to Los Angeles next season.
Reports claimed that James’ former teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat, were leading the charge to sign him. He was also heavily linked to the Golden State Warriors.
But James joins a 76ers team that has not won an NBA championship since 1983 and has not advanced out of the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs since 2001.
Philadelphia fans will be hoping he can wipe out that streak just as he did in Cleveland, who had not won a title for 52 years before he led them to success in 2016.
The Athletic reports that Maxey and other key figures with Philadelphia have been relentlessly pursuing James in recent weeks. Their blockbuster trade for Brown with the Celtics also tipped the balance in their favor.
James, who will turn 42 in December, is about to enter his 24th season in the NBA, which is a league record. He is the all-time leading scorer in NBA history and has won four championships, two with the Heat and once each with the Cavaliers and Lakers.
