The highly-anticipated debut of LeBron James on the Philadelphia 76ers is nearly here.
The future Hall of Famer made headlines this summer when he signed with the 76ers as a free agent, leaving the Los Angels Lakers. He discussed his latest decision on the season four opener of his “Mind the Game” podcast with Steve Nash.
James, 41, shared the thought process behind his decision to return to the game and not retire after 23 seasons in the league. The Lakers were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals and he admitted that thoughts of leaving “show up in just, like, random moments.”
But he said his physical condition and the support of his wife, Savannah, and children were reasons for him to keep playing.
“I’ve always told myself if I feel like I can’t put in the process of waking up and training the body and training the mind and I feel good after I do that on a consistent basis like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, like if I feel like I am cheating that process because that’s what’s gotten me to this point, then I know for sure that I’m done,” he said on the episode, which was published on Friday, Sept. 25.
“I was able to take the time off after the season, I took like a month and a half, two months off of no basketball. I was obviously still doing certain things, whatever the case may be to try to keep the body in a good place, but I felt like my body responded very well after the season. My mind responded better than it actually did last summer.”
LeBron James explains decision to join Philadelphia 76ers
James said more than actually playing, he is looking forward to dropping knowledge and mentoring the 76ers. The roster includes his friend Tyrese Maxey, Rising Stars MVP VJ Edgecombe, former NBA MVP Joel Embiid and newly acquired NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown. He reunites with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who he won the 2020 NBA Finals with on the Lakers.
“I’m more in love with just like, the process of getting the body right, keeping the mind fresh. How long can I keep the mind fresh?” he said. “And now, moving onto Philly, giving all the game and the blueprint to these guys. … I’m excited about that almost more than … it’s gonna sound crazy, but actually getting on the floor. ‘Cause if that thing clicks, this will be easy. That will be easy. So I’m excited and intrigued about that. …
“I’ve been around, obviously, some great locker rooms, been around some great teammates and this is another opportunity to be able to share all the stuff that I’ve been able to gather over two decades as a professional and over 30 years of being in the game. And believing that I was, not only believing, but knowing that the game was given to me the right way and the proper way of how to play and how to approach it and how to go after it, to be able to now take that into a new locker room is something that’s motivating for me.”
The NBA’s all-time scoring leader expanded on his relationship with Maxey, which he said “goes beyond the court.” James said he first knew the 25-year-old guard as a friend of his sons’ and has witnessed Maxey’s journey from being drafted in the first round to becoming a two-time All-Star. James said that when the news broke that he had informed the Lakers he was taking his talents elsewhere, Maxey was one of the first people to give him a call to recruit him.
“I just love everything about Tyrese Maxey, man,” James said. “Every day, you get the same person and that is very rare in sports, and obviously super rare in life. And I’ve always talked about how great of a person that he is. And obviously, we know what he brings to the basketball court.”
Maxey’s call and friendship were factors in James considering Philadelphia and then, Brown was sent to the 76ers in a blockbuster trade two years after winning the 2024 NBA Finals with the Boston Celtics. James expressed appreciation for Brown as a player and for marching to the beat of his own drum.
“I think people saw that something was going to happen there, but I don’t think anybody thought that it would be Philly that would be part of that trade package,” James said. “I love the way (Brown) approaches the game, too. Both sides of the floor, what he brings to the game, his insight on the game. I watched him, (he’s) kinda misunderstood, and that is absolutely OK. I think we’re all individuals for a reason and everyone’s always trying to put everybody in the same box and I love what he stands for and what he brings to the table in that fashion.”
Another element that the four-time NBA champion said impacted his decision to go east was the chance to help Embiid get his first title. The center, who James called “the big fella,” was the 2023 NBA MVP and won a gold medal with James when Team USA took first place in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 76ers haven’t won a championship since 1983, the year before James was born.
“He’s done everything in our league and (there’s) only (one) thing he has not done and that’s win a championship, and I want to try to help him get that first one,” James said. “… I think it’s time now that we dig even deeper into the process and I hope that I can be kinda that final little piece that can help him get over the hump and have him see maybe … just see it a little bit differently than he’s seen it in his career.”
James’ connection to the City of Brotherly Love goes back even further. He grew up in Akron, Ohio, and reflected on the time he played a high school basketball game his senior year at The Palestra with Allen Iverson in attendance. The Philadelphia arena is the home of the University of Pennsylvania Quakers and houses other basketball events. It is especially known for being a place where a young Wilt Chamberlain made history playing with Overbrook High School.
“I was like, ‘Oh man, I’m in the building with some of the greatest (who) ever played. It just had an aura about it when I played there,” he said. “… I remember walking into that arena and it just, it felt like the Colosseum, like the gladiators fought in this place, like it was an old feeling about it. So you can tell the basketball gods and the basketball spirits was in there that night. It felt right.”
The 22-time All-Star also shared some thoughts on his time with the Lakers, where he spent eight seasons. He reflected on how when he signed with the team, people criticized him for wanting to be Hollywood. He said his mission there was bigger than being in the movies.
“I’ve always loved a huge challenge,” he said, “and to come to a historical franchise that has some of the greatest basketball players that we’ve ever seen in the history of sports, to be a part of that, one, was like a super, duper big thing to me. It was like, super cool and, like, humbling at the same time.”
He knew that the standard in Los Angeles was “Let’s win championships” and said “I heard that and I understood that.”
“For us to be able to win one, that was something I will never forget. Obviously, with that group, with that team, for the city,” he said.
James admitted he has one regret from his time in the purple and gold. It’s something that couldn’t happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I still think about not being able to do the parade,” James said. “… That bothers me, (on a scale of) 1 to 10? 20. Just (wanted) to be able to celebrate with the Laker faithful.”
Even though he personally will be spending more time in Philadelphia, James said that signing with a new team is not a farewell to Los Angeles.
“My daughter, for sure, she don’t remember a white winter. My boys do somewhat, but my boys went to middle school here, high school here. Obviously, my daughter started from kindergarten on up,” he said. “So (LA) will be home for us for the foreseeable future.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why did LeBron James sign with the Philadelphia 76ers? Let him explain
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