appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Agence France-Presse

LeBron James will play for the Philadelphia 76ers next season, with the 41-year-old NBA superstar hoping to transform another franchise into a championship team.
The NBA all-time scoring leader and a four-time NBA MVP, James has won four titles in a 23-year career, most recently with the Los Angeles Lakers.
But “King James” announced on June 30 that he would depart the Lakers as a free agent, sparking a frenzy of speculation as to his next team.
“I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energise a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time,” James posted on X.
James sparked the Miami Heat to NBA crowns in 2013 and 2014, brought his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers a title in 2016, and delivered a championship for the Lakers in 2020.

He’s looking to become the first player to win a title with four different clubs by making the same magic happen in what Rich Paul, James’s agent, told ESPN was a two-year deal worth US$8 million.
The NBA legend was considering several clubs but will join a 76ers team that traded for forward Jaylen Brown from Boston and boasts a line-up that will also include star centre Joel Embiid and guards Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe.
“#throwtheballup” Brown posted on X in reaction to the news while Maxey, who called fellow Paul client James to entice him to Philly, was screaming with joy on social media over his “recruiting” skills.
James averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals a game for the Lakers last season and said he was considering retirement when the campaign concluded.
“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,” James posted on X.
“I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and decide if I still love this game.”
James rekindled his desire to play while pondering his future.
“I still truly love this game, and I have more to give,” he posted. “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.”
Paul played up the potential clubs James could join during more than three weeks of mystery about where he might sign.
Would James return home to Cleveland, return to Miami, join pals Stephen Curry and Draymond Green at Golden State or find another contender?
“This is my last decision,” James, who had made three prior heavily scrutinised free agent moves in his career, posted. “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.”
James did send his regrets to some of his other suitors, posting: “Thank you LA. Miami I’ll forever love and Northeast Ohio will always be home!”
The indecision had become a strain for the business side of the NBA, commissioner Adam Silver saying he could not commit to a schedule for the coming season until he knew where James landed, telecasters hoping to fill their line-ups with LeBron and his new teammates.
The Sixers have reached the playoffs in eight of the past nine years but never advanced beyond the second round, where they were swept out this past season by eventual champion New York.
The 76ers last reached the NBA Finals in 2001, losing to the Lakers, and last won the title in 1983 – when Julius Erving sparked a Finals sweep of the Lakers.
James and Embiid were teammates on the US squad that captured gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Sixers coach Nick Nurse, who celebrated his 59th birthday on Friday, guided the Toronto Raptors to the 2019 NBA title.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro declared it LeBron James Day in the state, saying, “Welcome to the City of Brotherly Love KingJames.”
NFL running back Saquon Barkley, who sparked the Philadelphia Eagles to the 2025 Super Bowl title, offered area golf advice, posting on X: “Welcome to the city! Let me know when you tryna tee it up.”


NBA star Stephen Curry visits Hong Kong school, gives tips on dealing with self-doubt, pressure

NBA star Curry visits Hong Kong school, gives tips on dealing with self-doubt, pressure

Meet Blake Griffin’s fiancée, Francesca Aiello, who founded Frankies Bikinis

Logan Horne on upcycling Hermès and Celine scarves into shirts and homeware

NBA (National Basketball Association)

LeBron James hoping to bring some title magic to Philadelphia 76ers

Joel Embiid (left) and LeBron James will be teammates at the Philadelphia 76ers this season. Photo: TNS

LeBron James chose the Sixers over more predictable picks, like the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat. Photo: TNS

Chinese basketball fans in disbelief as NBA star Kyrie Irving pays one a visit at his home

Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving with the Shanghai fan and his family at their home. Photo: Douyin

Kyrie Irving’s home visit was part of his China tour organised by a sporting goods brand. Photo: Douyin screenshot

Kyrie Irving leaving his signature on the fan’s wall. Photo: Douyin screenshot

Promotion, relegation system to return to China’s basketball leagues, sources say

Lin Bingsheng (right) of Zhejiang Lions goes for a lay-up against Shanghai Sharks in the finals of the CBA 2025-2026 season, won by the Sharks. Photo: Xinhua

Hong Kong Bulls won their third-straight National Basketball League title in April. Photo: Handout

Sport

Basketball

James looking to become first player in NBA history to win a championship with four different clubs


James looking to become first player in NBA history to win a championship with four different clubs.


LeBron James

LeBron James hoping to bring some title magic to Philadelphia 76ers

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}James looking to become first player in NBA history to win a championship with four different clubs

James looking to become first player in NBA history to win a championship with four different clubs