LeBron James announced he would join the Philadelphia 76ers, a development that NBA executives and coaches say increases pressure on the franchise to deliver, according to ESPN reporting and James’ statement on X.
Bob Myers, president of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, applied the same competitive logic to his offseason choices that he used as Golden State’s general manager, saying in 2017 that teams are “either getting better or… getting worse.” Myers watched the Warriors in Cleveland that year and later helped build the dynasty around Stephen Curry and coach Steve Kerr, with key pieces such as Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
Myers faces a different task in Philadelphia, where the foundation from the “Trust the Process” era has crumbled. The Sixers’ previous big swings — for Jimmy Butler III, James Harden and Paul George — did not produce results beyond the second round of the playoffs, and former No. 1 pick Ben Simmons is out of the league. MVP center Joel Embiid is on the wrong side of 30, has knees that will require careful management and carries a contract that has swelled to more than $60 million a season. “The Process is over,” one NBA coach told ESPN. “This needs to be the product. They need to finish this thing. The Sixers have done this for a long time with Embiid and it’s go time.”
Myers replaced Daryl Morey and engineered trades to add Jaylen Brown and James, moves an Eastern Conference executive said were understandable given the circumstances. “I can totally see why they did it,” the executive said. “They’re desperate. They needed to do something else before they get through to the next thing. So getting Jaylen for what they got him for is a good risk. Getting LeBron on a minimum is outstanding. What I’m not sure is why [James] did it. You’ve got a lot of guys who want the ball in their hands. Who’s setting screens? Who’s doing the dirty work? Who’s defending? A lot of that is going to fall to LeBron, I think.”
Shortly after James’ announcement, 76ers All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey posted a celebration video with the caption “I’m like Coach Cal,” referencing former college coach John Calipari. Maxey, who played one season for Calipari in 2019-20, was among a small group who got a late inkling that James would choose Philadelphia, sources said, and did not fully believe it until ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the news and James released his statement on X. James wrote on X, “I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind,” in the post.
