When LeBron James puts on his Philadelphia 76ers jersey for the first time in a couple months, he will be getting close to his 42nd birthday.
And his age will be the least weird thing about it.
The long-awaited announcement that came Friday — a “last decision,” he called it on social media — makes sense if you follow how James’ mind has worked throughout his career but also feels oddly out of place.
A third and final stint in Cleveland would have closed a circle that began at birth. Finishing in Miami would have put a bow on arguably the most interesting and controversial chapter of his career.
But perhaps more than any other all-time great in the history of team sports, James’ decisions have been driven less by narrative or legacy than what he perceives to be in his immediate interests. When he went to Miami in 2010 — as contentious as it was at the time — James created a permission structure for everyone who followed to unapologetically and ruthlessly chase championships.
In his final free-agent choice, James stayed true to the ethos that has guided him for more than 15 years.
There’s just one problem: He’s probably wrong.
If James were going to pick a team with which he could do the least amount of good while maximizing the potential complications, it’s the 76ers.
You can understand why Philadelphia looked so attractive: You’ve got an elite point guard in Tyrese Maxey, a burgeoning star wing in VJ Edgecombe, the addition of Jaylen Brown after a blockbuster trade with Boston and the enduring hope of a healthy Joel Embiid. The way James sees basketball — and he’s undoubtedly one of the most brilliant minds who has ever stepped foot on a court — there is a version of him that can be the ultimate connective piece to make the 76ers champions.
James undoubtedly looked at that mix of talent and saw a greater potential than in Cleveland, where there’s some roster disarray after last season’s playoff flameout, or with a Miami team that lacks supporting talent and depth around Giannis Antetokounmpo. He is not alone in that assessment.
But in Philadelphia, there is a different challenge. At this stage of his career, can James help maximize what the 76ers already have or — to be blunt — is he just going to be in the way?
If you are visualizing what the best version of this 76ers roster should be, you want Maxey with the ball in his hands as much as possible. You want Edgecombe, who made 35% of his 3s as a rookie, to be a relentless play finisher. Embiid, when he’s on the court, is going to eat up a lot of possessions by force of gravity. Now you’ve added Brown, whose entire game is based on isolations and heavy usage.
So what does that really leave for James? He is still elite with the ball in his hands, but he’s also older and less useful when he’s off the ball and hasn’t really expended much energy on the defensive side of the court for the last few years.
James’ most impactful skills at this point are almost repetitive with what Philadelphia already has on offense while he accentuates their problems on defense. Seeing arguably the greatest basketball player of all time reduced to a third or fourth option while living out an extended farewell tour will be a delicate dance on the court — and quite a chemistry experiment for the most interesting locker room in the NBA.
Maybe James is built to be a pure role player at this stage of his career, but the end of his time with the Lakers showed how uncomfortable it can be when he’s not running the show. And to put it mildly, LeBron the GM has been a questionable proposition in the latter stages of his career.
Yes, James was great at picking the talent he wanted to play with for a long stretch of his career — but that was because of him and the way he elevated almost anyone he shared the court with.
That’s not how it has looked for several years, and the end of his career — while a physical marvel to still be this capable into his 40s — is going to be far more dependent on how he fits in rather than the other way around.
James has chosen to end his career as a journeyman in a new town, in an unfamiliar uniform and with a group of players who probably do not need him to maximize whatever its potential is going to be.
It might be great. It might be a disaster. It’s definitely going to be strange.
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