LEBRON James has finally made his decision.
The four-time MVP and NBA Champion will be forming a formidable core with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown after signing a two-year 8 million US$ deal with the Philadelphia 76ers according to NBA insider Shams Charania.
"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. I still truly love this game, and I have more to give," James said in a social media post.
"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?" he continued.
"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."
Entering his 24th year in the NBA, James still had a pretty solid statline for the Lakers after averaging 21 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds in 60 games in what looked like a promising regular season for the Western Conference franchise as he was already building chemistry with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
That promise, however, hit a snag when both Doncic and Reaves suffered different injuries with five games left in the regular season -- forcing LeBron to once again carry a team in the postseason in his 23rd year in the league.
Which he did. For one round at least.
Despite playing without their two stars, James still carried the Lakers past the Houston Rockets in the first round, before eventually bowing out in the second round to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
James upped his averages to 23.2 points, 7.3 assists, and 6.7 rebounds in the postseason.
But while his camaraderie with Doncic and Reaves was starting to build, cracks between the organization and the James camp were already showing and by that time the offseason rolled out, it proved to be irrepairable.
James felt underappreciated as the Lakers started to shift their focus on their younger stars, and on June 30, LeBron's manager Rich Paul made it official - stating that LeBron won't be returning with the Lakers for his 24th year.
The King's Process
Just as LeBron was mapping out his future, the Sixers were building theirs.
Days after James' announcement that he'll be leaving the Lakers, the Sixers made a high-profile move in getting Brown from the Sixers for Paul George and several picks and pick swaps.
Brown, of course, is coming off his best individual season after leading the Celtics to the second-seed even while missing the services of Jayson Tatum for most of the regular season. He averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists.
The pair's arrival might just certainly be the completion of the Sixers' long process built around their star in Embiid, especially with the emergence of Tyrese Maxey as a superstar in his own right, and the arrival of rookie VJ Edgecombe who turned heads with his solid two-way game in first year.
Just how far this team will go might very well depend on the health of Embiid, and the pieces they'll put around these five players.
But by getting LeBron on a bargain, the Sixers definitely have some flexibility to build.
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