PHILADELPHIA — LeBron James said his longstanding friendship with All-Star Tyrese Maxey and a desire to help Joel Embiid win his first NBA title played significant roles in his decision to sign a two-year, $8 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers in July. The 41-year-old James revealed scant details about the free-agency process on his “Mind the Game” podcast with co-host Steve Nash that dropped Friday (Saturday in Manila). James is scheduled to meet the press for the first time as a Sixer on Monday at the team’s media day in Camden, New Jersey.
A four-time NBA champion, James wrote on social media when he signed with the Sixers that he felt he was “done” when his 23rd NBA season ended, his last with the Los Angeles Lakers. But after time away with family, and still feeling physically and mentally strong in offseason workouts, James decided he wanted to keep playing. James has won NBA championships with every team he’s played for: the Lakers, Miami and Cleveland.
I think I’m more in love with the pursuit of how much more can I defy the odds,
James said on the podcast. James said Philly was not even a question
early in his decision making until the Sixers pulled the surprising deal with Boston for NBA Finals MVP and champion Jaylen Brown. James and Maxey share an agent and have been friends and workout partners since the Sixers guard broke into the league.
Media Day in Camden
CAMDEN, N.J. — Could LeBron James’ contract with the Philadelphia 76ers be an inkling that retirement is forthcoming for the NBA superstar? James slightly deflected that question at media day on Monday at the 76ers training facility when asked about the structure of his two-year, $8 million contract with the 76ers, which includes a player option for the 2027-28 season, and whether he’s looking at it as his last stop.
Instead, the four-time NBA champion said he is approaching his 24th season in the NBA, and his first back in the Eastern Conference in nearly a decade, by being in the “present.”
I'm just looking at it every single day on how I can be the best version of myself for this franchise while I'm here. I can't speak into the future right now. I think that would be doing a disservice to myself, just living in the moment, especially knowing that I am where I am in my career, James said
James chose the 76ers over the reported interest of the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. The 76ers become the fourth franchise James will play for, marking the first time he will play in a new uniform since the start of the 2018-19 season.
In joining the 76ers, who were swept by the New York Knicks in the second round of the NBA playoffs last season, James will be teamed up with his close friend Tyrese Maxey, who served as a “major factor” in his decision to return to the East Coast.
Quashing Retirement Talk
NBA legend LeBron James has quashed retirement talk as he gets set for 24th season having signed with the Philadelphia 76ers this summer. James will begin his expected final chapter at his inaugural camp with the 76ers.
He made the NBA world wait a few weeks before announcing his decision over the summer to join to Philadelphia on a two-year $8m contract with a player option for next season. If James wins a title in Philadelphia, the 76ers would be the fourth franchise to become champions with him on the roster.
James won two championships in Miami, one in Cleveland and one with the Los Angeles Lakers.
I'm not going to speak to the future right now; I'd be doing myself a disservice,
James said at the Sixers’ media day. I'm just living in the moment, especially knowing where I am in my career.
Me trying to focus on what my future looks like, I wouldn't be giving myself grace. I'm more in the present now, understanding that I'm in year 24… I just like being in the moment, and we'll see what happens.
And if that Philly title happens, it would give Joel Embiid his first ring – which is part of James’ motivation.
I didn’t leave my family to lose in the second round, said James, who will turn 42 in December. I know that for sure. Work needs to be done and I'm ready to get to work.
Lakers Legacy and Rafters Discussion
LeBron James is no longer a Laker, but his eight-year run in Los Angeles could still end with his jersey hanging in the rafters. The 22x All-Star closed that chapter this summer before joining the Philadelphia 76ers for the 2026-27 season. He left behind a championship, major scoring milestones and a long list of franchise records. Yet, the conversation remains about what honor he will ultimately get from the Purple and Gold franchise.
I guarantee you, like, if you polled fans, they would not want LeBron’s number retired by the Lakers,
John Ireland, the longtime Lakers sportscaster for ESPN LA, recently discussed James’ legacy and the possibility of his number being retired. But that doesn’t mean the Lakers won’t do it anyway.
Like, for example, Karl Malone played one year for the Lakers. He is in the Hall of Fame. The Lakers did not retire his number because he didn’t really have a Hall of Fame career with the Lakers.
That distinction gets to the heart of the debate around James. The Lakers have never treated their retired-number standard as a simple extension of Hall of Fame status. The question is not whether a player was great enough to enter Springfield, but whether enough of that greatness became part of the Lakers’ own history. Malone’s lone season in Los Angeles is the clearest example: an all-time NBA resume did not automatically become a Lakers resume.
Ireland also pointed to that eight-year run as the reason he expects the conversation to eventually settle in James’ favor. I think eventually, eventually, after the temperature comes down, LeBron gets his number retired by the Lakers.