LeBron James Joins 76ers for Final NBA Stop

LeBron James is heading to Philadelphia, with the LeBron James to 76ers move now confirmed by the team and announced by the four-time NBA champion himself. James said Friday that he will join the Philadelphia 76ers next season and expects it to be the final contract of his career.

The 41-year-old leaves the Los Angeles Lakers after eight years, adding another twist to one of the most closely watched careers in American sports. James is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, and Philadelphia ownership moved quickly to frame the signing as a major step for a team that wants to chase a title. Managing partner Josh Harris called James one of the greatest players in league history and said he looked forward to seeing him line up with Jaylen Brown, VJ Edgecombe, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

James said on X that he believes he can help make the 76ers a championship team and is eager to energize a new fan base as he begins, in his words, one last journey. The wording matters because James has spent much of the last year signaling that the end could be near, only to say later that he still has more to give. After last season, he said he was “pretty sure” he had played his last game, but later said he still loved the sport and still wanted to compete.

There was no shortage of speculation before the announcement. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves and Miami Heat had all been mentioned as possible landing spots. Miami, where James won two of his NBA titles, briefly fueled the noise earlier this week by mistakenly posting a link to what appeared to be an introductory press conference for him. A Heat spokesperson later said the video went up by error as staff prepared for the possibility that James could return to the franchise.