LeBron James signs with Philadelphia 76ers for two-year, $8 million deal in bid for fifth NBA title

The decision

LeBron James announced on Friday, July 24, that he will finish his career with the Philadelphia 76ers. The 41-year-old signed a two-year, $8 million contract, with the second season a player option. His annual $3.9 million salary roughly matches that of 76ers rookie Labaron Philon ($3.6 million). James, the NBA's all-time scoring leader with 43,440 points and a four-time MVP, said he is still driven by competition and sacrifice.

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.

Why Philadelphia

Philadelphia had been swept by the New York Knicks in the second round of the playoffs a few months earlier, but a summer overhaul transformed the roster. President of basketball operations Mike Gansey engineered the acquisition of Jaylen Brown from Boston in exchange for Paul George. Brown joins Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, rookie VJ Edgecombe and coach Nick Nurse, who won a title with Toronto. The Sixers have not won a championship in 43 years.

I'm not going there for money, I'm not going there for family. I still want to sacrifice, to work, to win and to have a chance to feel what it's like to win another title.

Other suitors

James considered returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he began his career in 2003 and won the 2016 title, or going back to the Miami Heat, with whom he won championships in 2012 and 2013. Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry were also in the mix. He passed on all of them, picking what his camp saw as the strongest basketball fit.

The path in the East

James re-enters an Eastern Conference far different from the one he dominated for eight straight Finals trips before 2018. The defending champion New York Knicks rolled to a title with 13 consecutive playoff wins and a record postseason point differential. Boston won 56 games without a fully healthy Jayson Tatum and improved its center rotation with Mitchell Robinson. Detroit's 60-win core remains intact, led by Cade Cunningham.

Roster outlook

Philadelphia's starting five, Maxey, Brown, James, Embiid and Edgecombe, has no obvious weak spot on paper. The LeBron-Embiid pick-and-roll is expected to cause matchup problems, and Brown will be freed from the pressure of scoring 30 points every night. The Sixers now rank among the top title contenders, though Embiid's durability remains the central question.

The move creates the possibility that James could become the first player to win a championship with four different franchises, and a fifth ring would tie him with Kobe Bryant.