RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesLeBron James joining the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency certainly turned some heads and had plenty of people questioning why he would do this. A winner of four MVPs and four titles, James is already one of the all-time greats.
Why would he want to continue his career in Philadelphia? There's always that criticism that James is "ring chasing". It's the biggest critique of his brilliant and amazing career. Of course, he teamed up with fellow Hall of Famers Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh with the Miami Heat and won two titles in South Florida before returning to Cleveland to team up with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love to win a title with the Cavaliers in 2016. He then had Anthony Davis when the Los Angeles Lakers won a title in 2020.
Now, he's joining Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey in Philadelphia, which drew the same "ring chasing" critiques. However, Lakers legend Derek Fisher defended James for his decision to join the Sixers:
You’re not ring chasing when you’re the guy that creates the rings. Go back in NBA sports history. It's not about what team the guy is on. It's about where he is. Not the city or the team. Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), he didn't chase rings. Where he went, the rings followed. So, when you look at the history of all of the greats, it's where they are that the rings go. It's not the other way around. It's not like a ring is sitting in Philadelphia and he's going to chase it. His addition will increase the chances of them getting it.
Derek Fisher on LeBron to the 76ers: “You’re not ring chasing when you’re the guy that creates the rings!” 😮💨 (via @TheFanLA ) pic.twitter.com/ZndJwGlVsY
— Witness King James (@WITNESSKJ) July 26, 2026 The Sixers have not been past Round 2 since 2001 when Allen Iverson led them to the finals. Philadelphia then fell to Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, and the dominant Lakers in five games in that series. James will be looking to get the Sixers back on top in the NBA.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Lakers legend Derek Fisher defends LeBron James for joining Sixers
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