PHILADELPHIA — LeBron James is heading to the Philadelphia 76ers.
James made the announcement on social media Friday, saying it will be his “last decision” and that it comes after he strongly considered retirement.
“I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time,” James said.
James wrote he was “done” when his 23rd NBA season ended and that it was his last with the Los Angeles Lakers.
“I was pretty sure I played my last game. I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and deicide if I still love this game,” James wrote. “I still truly love this game, and I have more to give.”
The 41-year-old James is set to sign a modest $8 million, two-year contract with the Sixers, according to ESPN. He made nearly $53 million last season.
“I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family,” James wrote. “What am I really playing for at this point? I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning.”
James joins a 76ers team that has not won an NBA championship since 1983 and has not advanced out of the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs since 2001. He joins a team that should boast one of the top starting fives in the NBA with fellow All-Stars Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown, acquired in a stunning offseason deal with the Celtics.
