LeBron James will join the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year deal, the second year being a player option, for an $8m total contract value.
“The NBA’s all-time leading scorer will head back to the Eastern Conference to join the 76ers.” — NBA.com
Lebron announced on June 30th that he wouldn’t be returning to the Lakers, he did this after his son “Bronny” James $2m+ salary with the Lakers became guaranteed for next year.
I’ve never been in support of the term “nepo baby”. A deconstructionists/marxist term to guffaw at so called nepotism or privilege, when what they actually want is an inheritance tax. As far as I’m concerned, the reason people are motivated to attain great success is primarily for their children and future generations, and if they do so, they are entitled to position their heirs as they see fit. The most successful family in the world has had this multigenerational outlook for centuries and it has served them quite well, but this article isn’t about the Rothschilds. It’s about Lebron James.
LeBron held the Lakers organization hostage, giving them a de facto ultimatum to draft his wholly unqualified son, and made a mockery of the league in doing so. Bronny is so far beyond Nepo Baby it’s hard to quantify.
LeBron milked his “decision” announcement regarding which team he will play his age 42 season with for 24 days, he got every ounce of attention he possibly could for it before signing his name on a contract. Apparently the extended free agency period even held up the Association’s 2026-2027 schedule creation. Wanting to see where LeBron landed before locking in their primetime games for the upcoming season.
Though he received considerable flack from the sports media for his indecisive antics, this summer has not been nearly the PR disaster for him that his 2010 decision to leave his hometown Cavaliers and “take his talents to South Beach” was. Prior to that epic television event my thought process was, “well he has to choose Cleveland, otherwise they’ll rake him over the coals for this.” LeBron chose Miami, won not one, not three, not four, but two championships, and the rest is history. He then went on an incredible redemptive arc and returned to The Land and brought them their first major sports championship in 52 years. LeGacy now having been restored, James dipped for Hollywood for an eight year stint that included a 2020 BLM Bubble Championship with the Los Angeles Lakers.
With this move LeBron has made himself far more relevant in the league as he fights the sunset upon his career for as long as his incredible physio regimen, TRT and stem cells (allegedly) can hold it off.
We just recently covered Futures bets and how they are the most reliable version of Power Rankings, or at least a market-driven version of them, so lets check in on what they are saying about this move:
The 76ers have climbed up to #4 with +1000 Odds , or 10/1 (up from +2000 a week ago), behind Western Conference Finalists Oklahoma City and San Antonio at a strongly favored +260, and the defending champion New York Knicks at +900.
LeBron is in his ring-chasing era, and with the emphasis sports debate shows place on championships in regard to the GOAT pantheon, it’s hard to argue with at this stage in his career. Four titles after 23 seasons, including jumping to well positioned teams in Miami, back in Cleveland, and then LA just don’t compare to Kobe’s five titles, and Jordan’s six, both of which were secured with a single franchise.
LeBron joins the newly acquired Jaylen Brown from Boston, and “The Process” Joel Embiid. They form a new big three that looks to capture the 76ers their first title since 1983.
Boston deserves a large dose of blame for fumbling the Giannis trade talks so poorly that they felt it was best to dump a franchise player to a rival to address the fallout, and in doing so creating this potential superteam destination for James.
But their loss is the other East Coast residents’ gain as Giannis and Lebron will now be playing their games in primetime in the Eastern time zone and remix the league with new rivalries, compelling matchups, and a whole host of new and lofty expectations for LeBron and the Sixers to live up to.
While I’ll take satisfaction in the mumbled excuses LeBron gives in his postseason press conference should Philly come up short in their quest for a title, it gives me something I haven’t had for a few years in regard to the NBA regular season, a reason to watch.
Now that his decision is made, he can spend some time this summer finally watching The Godfather and reading Malcolm X!