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sep 28 2026LeBron James has donned the Philadelphia 76ers jersey. He did so at Media Day, after missing voluntary workouts, and with a statement that sums up his arrival: "I didn't leave my family to lose in the second round."
A franchise stalled since 2001
The statement has precise context. The Sixers haven't reached a conference finals since 2001, when Allen Iverson led them to the NBA Finals. Twenty-five years later, the ceiling of the club has become a barrier that no project has managed to overcome.
LeBron arrives, moreover, leaving his family in Los Angeles. Hence the weight of that phrase.
He completed the idea with another statement: "We have to be comfortable with discomfort. It's the only way to aspire to be great. You have to be in love with discomfort. And we have a great team to achieve it."
Five teams on the table
The most revealing moment of his appearance came when he detailed that he considered five destinations. Among them, the New York Knicks, whom he ruled out for a striking reason: they had just won the championship.
"I had visualized playing at Madison Square Garden and ending my career there. It's the number one arena in the world as a basketball player," he acknowledged.
In other words, he preferred the challenge of lifting a stalled franchise over joining an already winning project.
Maxey, the argument
On why he chose Philadelphia, he returned to the same reason he had already pointed out: his relationship with Tyrese Maxey. He also dedicated words to the city's fans, extending them to the rest of its sports teams.
Where he will live
He was asked about the rumor circulating this summer: that he would reside in New York for most of the season and commute daily by helicopter to train.
His answer was ambiguous. He said he will live "in both" cities and will have "multiple residences."
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