RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. LeBron James took just over three weeks to make his decision, and the team he landed on nobody saw coming: the Philadelphia 76ers .
He's an Akron, Ohio, native who started his career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he won the franchise's first NBA championship in 2016. A core of Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen just took them to the Eastern Conference Finals, so it felt like the most likely landing spot for James.
The Miami Heat also made sense, reuniting James with Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra, with whom he won two NBA titles. The Golden State Warriors rounded out the top three, given his relationship with Draymond Green, Steph Curry, and Steve Kerr.
But I don't think anybody actually thought he'd be playing his 24th season in Philly.
Expectations are already sky-high with the Sixers. The organization had previously traded for 2024 Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, and has a young ascending backcourt tandem of Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. But according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne , James had some reservations about another one of the 76ers' stars before signing with the team: Joel Embiid .
"Embiid played only 57 games over the past two regular seasons, fewer than James played last season in his age-41 season. He sat out games in both of the 76ers' playoff series in 2026, though it should be noted it was because of emergency appendicitis surgery, not because of his knees. James has long admired Embiid's talent and basketball IQ, sources close to him said. But like many in the league, he had questions about Embiid's durability," Shelburne wrote.
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Embiid has been one of the best centers in the league since the 76ers "trusted the process" and took him third overall back in 2014. He's earned seven All-Star nods, eight All-NBA selections, two scoring titles, and won MVP honors in 2023, leading the league in scoring with 33.1 points per game, to go with 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.7 blocks — while shooting 54.8% from the field and 33% from deep.
But what's held him back from being in that upper echelon of all-time greats is availability. He's appeared in less than 40 games each of the past three seasons due to multiple different injuries, and even in his MVP season, he only played 66 games.
He's battled injuries for most of his career, including meniscus tears, a foot fracture, an orbital fracture, knee sprains, and chronic knee tendinitis. Embiid is now 32 years old and has yet to reach an NBA Finals or conference finals.
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