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LeBron James has signed a 2-year $8 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. James revealed his decision on X Friday.
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In explaining his decision James said he needed to “look at myself and deicide if I still love this game.”
“I still truly love this game, and I have more to give. The last few weeks have really been special. I’ve never been able to have no clue what to do and take real time to just think,” James wrote. “I’ve had an incredible few months with all the people I love trying to figure it all out. This is my last decision. I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family. What am I really playing for at this point?”
James, 41, became a free agent this summer after he decided to part ways with the Los Angeles Lakers. His upcoming season will be his 24th in the NBA.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, James’s storied career has earned him consideration as the sport’s greatest player of all time.
After spending the first seven seasons of his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James infamously decided to join the Miami Heat in the summer of 2010. He led the Heat to the NBA Finals in 2011, beginning a streak of eight consecutive finals appearances.
James won back-to-back championships in 2012 and 2013 before leaving Miami to re-join the Cavaliers in 2014. In 2016, he led Cleveland to its only championship in franchise history, winning Finals MVP in one of the greatest upsets in NBA history, as James and the Cavaliers overcame a 3-1 series deficit to defeat the 73-win Golden State Warriors.
In 2018, James once again entered free agency, and this time signed with the Lakers. In 2020, he became the first player to win finals MVP with three different teams as James helped lead Los Angeles to a title during the pandemic in the Orlando bubble.
James’s tenure with the Lakers was filled with ups and downs, however. Since winning it all in 2020, Los Angeles has made it out of the first round of the postseason only twice, and missed the playoffs entirely in 2022. This most recent season, James took a backseat to Luka Doncic, whom the Lakers acquired in February 2025.
With Doncic sidelined due to injury, however, James led Los Angeles to a first-round win over the Houston Rockets in the playoffs before losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the following round.
James joins Philadelphia as arguably the most decorated player in basketball history.
James is a four-time champion, four-time MVP, 22-time All-Star and the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. He was named to the NBA’s 75th anniversary team, and has also won three gold medals as part of USA Basketball at the Summer Olympics.
In his most recent season, James played in 60 games and averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game, his lowest scoring average since his rookie year. In his 23-year career, James has averaged 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists a night, while shooting 50.7% from the field and 34.8% from three.
