LeBron James chooses Philadelphia for 24th NBA season

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

From purple and gold to white and blue.

LeBron James, will the Philadelphia 76ers’ jersey threads look good on you, too?

After putting all interested franchises through the grinder, the NBA’s most celebrated icon finally made his decision and chose to reinforce the stacked Philadelphia 76ers on July 24, 2026.

“The last few weeks have really been special,” James posted on his official Facebook account.

“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.”

According to ESPN senior NBA insider Shams Charania, James and the 76ers have agreed to a two-year, USD 8 million deal that includes a player option.

James officially became a free agent on June 30, 2026, immediately informing the Los Angeles Lakers that he would not return for the upcoming 2026-2027 NBA season.

A day after moving on from the Lakers, several suitors began actively pursuing James, including the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets.

The 76ers also joined the bid but made things more interesting after Bob Myers, president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, the ownership group that manages Philadelphia, made his pitch in an episode of the Game Over Podcast.

“I’d say, and I honestly believe, that this is your best chance to win,” Myers said.

“You can win here, in Philadelphia. All I can talk about is winning and organizational support. This guy watches basketball more than anybody understands.”

That move to publicly pursue and reach out to James worked perfectly, and Myers proved that he still has that front-office magic.

Myers is considered the architect of the Golden State Warriors dynasty, having served as the franchise’s general manager from 2012 to 2023.

Under his leadership and through his construction of championship rosters, Golden State won four NBA titles, while Myers was twice named NBA Executive of the Year.

For Myers, the talent currently on the 76ers’ roster is more than enough to help James achieve his ultimate desire of winning another Larry O’Brien Trophy before ending his career.

Several weeks ago, the 76ers successfully traded for Boston Celtics superstar Jaylen Brown in exchange for veteran forward Paul George and four draft picks.

With the arrival of James, Philadelphia now has arguably the deadliest starting five heading into the NBA regular season, together with Brown, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe.

“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 added.