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AIPROPX ReportYahoo Sports · 1h ago
Former Laker Derek Fisher defends LeBron James joining the 76ers
Everyone is still talking about LeBron James' decision to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-year, $8 million contract. While some are praising the decision and perhaps even predicting that he will win his fifth NBA championship soon, others are slamming him for taking the easy way out.
The 76ers already had plenty of talent this past season when they went 45-37 even though superstar center Joel Embiid played in just 38 regular-season games. They then traded for five-time All-Star wing and former NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown a few weeks ago, making this the most stacked, ready-made team James has ever joined.
As a result, his critics are accusing him of cheaply chasing another championship ring. But former Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher, who won five rings alongside Kobe Bryant, said during an appearance on 97.1 The Fan radio that he feels this scenario cannot be considered "ring-chasing."
“You’re not ring chasing when you’re the guy that creates the rings,” Fisher said. “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. Lou Alcindor (or) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar -- he didn’t chase rings. Where he went, the rings followed.
“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. Yeah, they look good on paper without him, but they may not win it without him either, and they could also come up short with him.”
The difference between this part of James' career and his past is that when he won each of his four titles, he was "the man," even though he was always surrounded by a couple of other Hall of Famers. In Philly, he will play more of a supporting role, since Embiid, Maxey and Brown all averaged well over 26 points a game last season.
James will likely be more of a catalyst than a superstar for the 76ers. That will be an advantage for him, as he can conserve his energy throughout the season, even more than he did this past season when he was the Lakers' third scoring option.
The 41-year-old averaged 20.9 points on 51.5% shooting, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists a game with L.A. during the 2025-26 campaign, which was his eighth with the team. It went 53-29 despite several key injuries, including a bout with sciatica that forced James to miss the first 14 games of the schedule. After Luka Doncic suffered a season-ending hamstring strain in early April, James led the Lakers to a first-round playoff upset over the Houston Rockets before they were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the next round.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Former Laker Derek Fisher defends LeBron James joining the 76ers
Former Laker Derek FisherLeBron JamesFormer LakersDerek FisherEveryonePhiladelphiaWhileNBAJoel EmbiidAllStarNBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown
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