Finally, after waiting and waiting, LeBron James has found a new home, where he will play his 24th NBA season.
The Philadelphia 76ers, a franchise that recently acquired All-Star Jaylen Brown, will now feature arguably the most potent starting lineup in the league, adding James to their roster and likely installing him as their new power forward.
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Joel Embiid, James, Brown, V.J. Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey will now try to slay dragons — in the form of the Knicks, Thunder and Spurs — in their quest for the 2027 NBA title.
James, 41, has signed a two-year deal with a player option worth a total of $8 million, attaching his name to a roster for the purpose of fit and quality, as opposed to optimizing his own salary.
The 22-time All-Star averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists for the Los Angeles Lakers last season, where he spent a grand total of eight years and won a championship after playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat.
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This marks James’ fourth NBA franchise, and should he succeed in securing a title for the 76ers, that will make him 4-for-4 in winning titles for the teams he’s represented. He won two titles in 2012 and 2013 for the Heat, and titles for the Cavs and Lakers in 2016 and 2020, respectively.
James is the only player in NBA history to score more than 40,000 points, as well as topping both 10,000 rebounds, and 10,000 assists. Broadly viewed as the “Statistical GOAT,” James will attempt to build on those numbers as he enters the 2026-27 campaign.
The Sixers, who also signed Dean Wade and Anfernee Simons, also drafted Labaron Philon Jr., and have both Dominick Barlow and the recently signed Ariel Hukporti on the roster, which should provide them with a solid boost off the bench.
The star-studded roster likely means the Sixers will see a notable down tick in individual stat lines, as potentially five stars now will share the floor. But given that the goal is lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy next June, that should serve as an easy sacrifice.
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The major factor will be health. Embiid averaged 32 regular-season games the past three seasons. And while James has been relatively healthy the past few seasons, he did struggle with injuries in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, and we assume things won’t be any easier for his age-42 season.
Brown has been a workhorse for his 10-year career, but with numerous deep playoff runs, you have to wonder if all the mileage will catch up to him.
Still, a franchise can’t necessarily worry about that and must try to put together the best combination of talent it can.
It’s safe to say the 76ers did just that.
