LeBron James’ NBA free agency saga finally came to an end Friday when the four-time NBA champion announced he would join the Philadelphia 76ers for what he described as the final stop of his legendary career. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, James agreed to a two-year, $8 million deal with Philadelphia. The move officially ended his eight-year run with the Los Angeles Lakers and means he will begin his record-breaking 24th NBA season alongside Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown.
The move stunned much of the basketball world. For weeks, the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors had all been heavily linked with James, while Philadelphia quietly emerged as a serious contender late in the process.
Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
Among those surprised by the announcement was Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, who admitted she never expected James to land in Philadelphia.
“No way! I just pitched him for the Pacers. It didn’t get to him fast enough. The 76ers,” Clark said. “Wow. Wow. I didn’t. Selfishly, I wanted the Warriors because Steph and Bron would have been absolutely insane together, but they have some serious talent on the 76ers. Arguably, maybe one of the favorites in the Knicks and then obviously my Pacers, but wow. I thought he was either going to go Miami or Cleveland, so that’s really shocking, but I’ll be watching more 76ers games and, you know, obviously I’m a big fan of Bron, so no matter where he was going to go, I was going to probably cheer for that team and root for them, so I’m going to go wait for the NBA schedule to come out and make sure I have my tickets reserved for when the 76ers come play the Pacers because those are always hard to get, but happy for him.” (h/t Tony East of Forbes Sports).
Clark has never hidden her admiration for James. The Fever star has frequently credited him as one of her biggest basketball influences and has often attended NBA games during the WNBA offseason. James also praised Clark’s impact on the WNBA, recently celebrating her career-high 45-point, 10-assist performance against the Seattle Storm.
James now joins a Philadelphia team widely viewed as one of the Eastern Conference favorites after its offseason additions. With Embiid, Maxey, Brown and now James on the roster, the 76ers are expected to enter the 2026-27 campaign with legitimate championship aspirations as the NBA prepares for one of its most anticipated seasons in recent memory.
